Part 70
Numb

"Show some damn respect." Levi hissed, kneeing the shin of a member from the Garrison Regiment. "He's still our Commander."

"Y-Yes Sir!"
Gently, Erwin's body was carted away with the utmost decency still intact.

The world had changed even more in such a short time. The amount of Scout lives left was bear minimal.
Connie, Jean, Mikasa, Hange, Levi, Floch, Eren, Armin, Sasha, even Fury. They were all that remained of the Beast Titan's assault. Even still, most of them had gained an injury in some form of way.
Sasha from the Thunder Spear, Hange losing her eye, even Jean's arm was already in a holster.

Vomiting was heard nearby from Armin, as Eren, under orders, had told him everything that happened. That he was now the Colossal Titan. That he too only now had 13 years left to live.
Fury lingered nearby. Her fingertips numb with an unfamiliar feeling. Her eyes lost in a deep daze, barely enough strength to even stand on her feet anymore. She couldn't even bear to watch as Erwin's body was taken away.
Why Armin? Why him over a man with years of humane experience? If it came down to the dreams either of them clung to, Fury hissed at that thought. How stupid, in a world like this, to rely on dreams, she would feel.

But maybe because she has yet to allow herself to set one.

"I can't stop any of the consequences coming your way after what happened today, Fury." Levi would interrupt, for once being the one to look down on her.

"I know." There was no sense of care in Fury's reply. "Shit's always been that way. The one's who care are the one's punished."

Still, Levi continued. "You triggered whatever it is that still curses you on Hange and Floch. People aren't going to overlook that. Not with what you can do to people. And yet, it didn't affect me, whatever pain Hange was trying to describe feeling."

Fury huffed. "Probably because you're an Ackerman? Hell, I don't know. Everything Hexis once told me is suddenly starting to feel like mixed whispers that have been told over the years. If there are more people, out there, then who knows… Maybe I'm not the only one. We all started from somewhere."

"Armin's dream reached out to beyond these walls. His dream isn't just a goal, but to see further beyond what Erwin was able to set on…-"

"I knew it." Fury sighed, cutting Levi off and shaking her head. "You're really telling me that Erwin's goal, his dream, was seemingly selfish? It couldn't benefit us all other than knowing what's in that damn basement?! Come on, Levi, you can make better excuses than that."

Levi took a knee, sighing himself before taking a small gaze to the open world before him. "Not this time." He muttered. "Fury… Erwin practically asked of me to allow him to finally rest.
And with everybody we've dealt with, their goals were all personal, to gain something only for themselves. Armin… The kid sees what could be over the horizon. For us all to see it. Wanting to know if the world is bigger than what you've been led to believe, how can that be seen as selfish and single-minded?
Whatever we discover in that basement, I'm not sure Erwin would've known what to do next, knowing he'd finally reached his goal that was for himself."

"Don't speak about him like he's some civilian just wishing he can get another fuck to remain happy. This all comes down to what happens next. I really have little confidence that Armin will be able to direct us in Erwin's place. Hange, maybe, but…"

"I respected Erwin as my Commander above all else. I chose to have no regrets when it came to taking his orders. I had to let him rest, Fury…"
She gave no reply, leaving Levi to stand back up, altering his cravat around his neck as it had loosened. "The truth will be given to Historia and her officials about what happened here today. It may land you, Eren and Mikasa behind bars, but I'll do what I can to make the stay there short.
For what it's all worth… I'm sorry, Fury. For Erwin… For Kenny, too."

Though her eyes widened, Fury could still not look Levi's way. "I didn't make my decision to get back at you." Levi went on to say, then looking behind him to see that Eren, Mikasa and Hange were waiting on him to venture to that basement. Giving Fury one last glance, a small sadness loomed in the Captain's eyes as there was only silence between the two friends now.
Trust and bridges were destroyed this day. And neither of them truly knew what to say in order to repair it. With his silent leave, he was gone. And it was only then when Fury was able to look at where Levi was stood moments ago.

"Don't you ever be sorry."

Now that he was gone, her exterior shattered like glass, and tears streamed from her eyes like a gushing river from a storm. A shaking hand covering her mouth as she sobbed aloud. Little gasps of breath as she struggled to compose herself.
Kenny had finally been confronted, at the expense of Levi finding out the truth.
Erwin now dead, a man who Fury truly trusted herself, and came to even love him.

Was this what real pain felt like?

"What are you…?" A distant voice interrupted her moment. Fury swiftly wiping her eyes, re-building that wall that had just shattered with a fresh exterior. It was the only way she could feel safe now.

She looked over to where the voice came from.
Floch.
The one who experienced her blood manipulation.

"About before…" She croaked. "I don't make a habit of doing that, to any human, I just…-"
"It was a cry for help."

"What you can do is beautiful!" Floch continued, only to Fury's surprise. "People in the Garrison used to talk about someone in the Scouts who could do something like you did, but most assumed it to be an illusion."

"I wish it was…"
"Maybe I should use it on myself to stop feeling like this…"

"But why?" Floch etched closer, causing Fury to raise her eyebrow. She knew, remembering how Erwin described it, what she did to this Floch and Hange must've hurt them. "What you have is a gift to deal with the devils that still linger."

"A gift is something that you're given and usually what you want." Fury muttered. "I never asked for this, I was born with it."
"All I keep seeing in my dreams is blood. And death…"

"Someone must really like you then." Floch preached, smiling. "It hurt like hell, but I couldn't move at all.
Think what you can do with that!"

"Floch, is it?" Fury frowned. "I think debris hit your head. Go and get yourself looked at, you sound like a crazed maniac."

Floch nodded. "Just know that I don't fear you. And if anything, I'm in awe of you."

"… What the fuck…?" Fury muttered to herself as Floch removed himself from her presence. She shook her head and her narrowed eyes softened. Fury looked out to what was beyond her.
An open land, untouched by humans, and not even a single Titan in sight anymore. Could it be that they were slowly dwindling in their numbers?

"Hexis…" Fury whispered. "Why do I suddenly feel like everything you told me was just what you had been led to personally believe from other's stories? There's no way I was just born like this because of Eldian-Logic… Maybe whatever they find in that basement might have some answers on this front too?"
Her hand then lifted to her head. It hurt. The voices were slowly getting louder, as her nightmares were only getting worse.

With a conflicted heart, Fury steadily got to her feet, pushing against her hands on her knees, brushing aside the problems looming internally. "Isaah…" She then muttered. "Need to make sure that little shit is okay, but… Erwin. I still want to be by his side."

"He's all I have now…"


Fury was stood at his bedside. Erwin's scout cloak covering his face, his able arm resting over his stomach.
She stood there. Eyes locked on him, as if she was waiting for some form of movement. Anything at all.
But there was none. She could no longer hear his soft breathing and gentle snores.
Fury leaned over, delicately lifting up his Scouting cloak, just to see his face one last time. Instantly, the built up water fell from her face and hit the Commander's cheek, falling down onto the pillow his head rested upon.

She clenched her eyes closed for a moment, trying to compose and control her emotions, but this was a pain she has never felt before. Not even when Hexis passed away. Fury gently lifted up the Commander's head, so she was able to remove his bolo tie from around his neck. Something that signified his command among the Scouts.
She held it tightly, and in a way, unable to let go as Fury then placed that bolo tie around her own neck. Something she knew she could not remove until she was ready and able.

"Aya!" Then came the screech of Isaah, as he was the only one to call her by her name. Erwin's door had remained open to allow people to come and leave their respects. Niall was here moments before Fury arrived, telling Erwin he would take care of Mary, whoever that was.
Fury felt no need to find that out.

"Isaah? Get out!" Fury barked, causing the young one to cower and back out of Erwin's room so that Fury could place his cloak over him again, though not before kissing the pads of her fingers and then allowing them to touch Erwin's cheek one last time.
Looking away, she then finally allowed his cloak to rest over him, pulling herself away to attend to Isaah outside.
"Why did I just yell at him?"

"You're okay!" He wailed. "Well… as okay as you can be?"

Fury touched the bolo tie hanging around her neck, taking a short breath, before then noticing Isaah was wearing the cadet uniform. "How are things going?"
"I'm glad you're safe…"

Isaah knew Fury was indirect in asking if he was okay too, but he knew, deep down, she was glad he was still safe. "You mean the training? Hard work… This ODM stuff is harder than what it's made to look.
I was told you were here… Who… Who is that body in there?"

"A fallen soldier. We… Lost quite a few today, and I'm not sure if we gained anything in return yet." Fury then turned her back on Isaah. "Just keep at it. You'll get there. Wasn't that your goal after all?"

"I'll keep you safe."

"Yeah…" Isaah would murmur as Fury began walking off. He looked up to the name's on the door, showing who's room this was, seeing that the name's Levi and Erwin was placed there. "Oh man… The Captain?" He would assume, unaware of it being Erwin, unaware of the names that had been killed in battle, for he was still just a cadet.

A cadet with a dream.