As always my lovelies, go ahead and enjoy this chapter and don't forget to toss me a little review, to let me know what you think~ ;)
P.S. All Attack on Titan characters belong to Isayama Hajime. I only own my OCs.
13. I'll never forget
~ 850 ~
"How's your shoulder?"
Levi's question caught the redhead by surprise and her hands paused on his ankle, which she had been massaging that evening.
"I'm alright..." she smiled at him. "You don't have to worry, it was just dislocated. As soon as Hange-san popped it back into place, it healed in a few minutes."
At that she lowered her eyes back to the foot he was resting on her lap, tracing a hand over the reddened ankle. Due to the stress it had taken that afternoon, it had somewhat swollen again.
"You, on the other hand..." she sighed. "I'm sorry... I probably made it worse and extended your recovery time by having you join the fight. I just didn't know what else to do."
Pausing for a moment she clenched her jaw, resuming her hands' motions along his injured leg.
"No, that's a lie. I knew what I had to do, I just... I was too selfish to do it. And because of that we failed again, like in the forest."
"You made the right call." Levi at last replied. "If I didn't think it was our only option, I wouldn't have agreed to it. Besides, something like what you can do isn't anything to throw around lightly. There may come a time when you'll be our only element of surprise, with how long Eren's taking to control his power."
The soft, slightly bittersweet smile that graced her lips made him frown. Just what did he have to say to her, so she would stop blaming herself for things that were out of their control?
"I see..." she said softly, not because she truly believed that, rather because she didn't want to argue with him. "Then I apologize for getting fussy over nothing, Cap—"
"Levi..."
His reply killed her voice and startled her into looking back at him with that innocent stare, which recently had started doing certain... things, to him.
"You can drop the rank in private." he explained in the face of her hesitant blush. "We've known each other for how many years now?"
"But still... you're..."
"It's not like our relationship is exactly by the books, is it? I don't think it ever was, to be honest... but it's fine, so long as you remember your manners in front of other people."
Maybe he was just too angry about being forced to sit out that important fight. But right then it irked him to no end that she kept up that wall of formality between them, after she had so willingly let him sweep her up into his pace, lately.
"I... I'll try, but I don't think..." she agreed in the end. "It would feel... disrespectful..."
"I'm sure it's no more 'disrespectful' than letting your Captain shove his tongue down your throat."
"Th-that was—!"
"I know I caught you off guard, but you didn't put up much resistance either." he cut her off, tilting his head lightly and narrowing his eyes in contemplation. "It's interesting that you're willing to commit yourself to me in everything, even going so far as to let me do what I please with you. Yet when I ask you to be less formal you suddenly hide behind this wall of 'respect' for my rank..."
"I said I'll try, didn't I?" she pouted, lowering her eyes back to her task and trying to ignore her burning cheeks. "I don't know what more I can give you right now..."
"It's fine..." he sighed tiredly, running a hand through his hair. "I'm just pissed off and I'm taking it out on you."
His last words made Natalie realize that she should have thought of that herself. Of course he wouldn't be happy about being forced to stay on the sidelines. But even so... he was being a bit harsher than usual, that evening. And then over the following four days he had grown increasingly irritated and snappy, not just with her but with everyone. He had even refused her help anymore and had spent the better part of the last two days cooped up in his office, with the excuse that he had a ton of paperwork to handle after the insanity in Stohess.
'At this rate his leg is never going to heal...' she scowled that evening as she walked the corridor to reach his office.
She'd had enough of him overworking himself and was determined to drag him to bed so he could rest... no matter what she had to do to accomplish that. Even if it meant literally dragging him out of that office.
And yet, despite his excuse, Levi had gotten little work done those days. No matter how he tried, no matter how much tea he had, he just couldn't focus and that made him even more irritable. The reason? Her... always her, popping up in his mind. Her bright, warm smile; her tiny, adorable giggles and sniffles; those unabashedly honest stares she often gave him, that made him certain she had never once had any ulterior motives about him – that she hadn't confessed, at least. Then there was the way that, even now after so many years, her eyes came alive whenever she looked at him... how they brightened her entire being. How it made some part of him – the darker part he had tried to keep hidden from her – want to reach out and break that innocence... to taint her... to mark her in some way that would show the entire world that she belonged to him.
'Damn Hange... putting all these stupid ideas in my head.' he frowned, recalling the conversation he had shared with the researcher earlier that afternoon, in his desperation to make sense of what he was feeling.
=0=0=
"Say, Levi..." Hange called out in their usual cheerful manner as they burst into his office carrying a pack of papers. "Erwin wants you to look over these reports from the Stohess fight, and..."
At last noticing his unusually forlorn stare, the Section Commander set the papers down and turned to him with one of their rare serious expressions.
"Are you alright? Are you sure you're not working too much? I'm pretty certain I heard Natalie arguing with you over it yesterday..."
"Sit." he sighed, standing from his desk and gesturing to the couch.
Following him in curiosity, Hange sat down as he had requested; it was rare that Levi would talk to them willingly, and they had the feeling it was something serious. At first he went silent, only stretching out his left leg and sighing in relief as the annoying ache in his ankle eased.
"You know, she's really only nagging you because she's worried." Hange at last spoke up. "You've never been the best at looking after yourself."
"I know... say, you've been hanging around her plenty. What do you think?"
"About her?" the researcher inquired, before giving it a serious thought. "Hmm... I'd say she's grown into a fine soldier since she joined the Survey Corps. Sure, she still has her moments of insecurity but really, who doesn't; especially in our line of work. But even so, she's very brave and selfless... and she's very devoted to you."
Eyeing the way he tensed at those last words, Hange sighed softly after getting confirmation that that was indeed his problem.
"She's important to you, isn't she? You've grown fond of her..."
"You know me even better than she does, Hange. You know exactly what kind of man I am; she's far too... clean for someone like me. I'd just end up tainting her, if I let this go any further." he mused aloud, having laid his head against the backrest to stare at the ceiling. "And yet..."
"You already crossed the line?"
"...Yeah. When she came out of that forest alive... I was so happy." he said almost as a whisper. "For the first time since I lost my mother, I was truly happy. Even though the rest of my team was dead, I was just happy that she was alive... that she came back to me..."
"I see..." Hange hummed in thought. "What about now? You've had some time to think about things. Do you feel anything, when you're with her?"
"I'm a man; of course I feel something when I'm with her. But you know me, Hange... you know how my environment shaped me, how filthy it made me, how it broke me. I want to keep her away from all that. And yet... the thought of someone else touching her..."
"You can't stand it." they nodded in understanding. "I see; you're conflicted. Well, at least that means your feelings for her aren't brotherly, like Karl thought. Still... don't you think you should let her make her own choice? Putting aside whether being with someone like you is healthy for her or not – she's a grown woman, not a child. If you want to know my honest opinion, I think that as long as we're willing to take responsibility for our future, each of us is free to live however we want. You can choose for her and push her away... or you can let her choose whether she wants to walk the same path as you. If you're seriously thinking about this, then just give her the options and let her weigh them on her own."
In the stretching silence, Hange carefully examined him; his expression, which was usually so hard to read, was now like an open book.
"I'm not saying this to influence you, it's only my personal opinion... Natalie's a lot more mature than maybe even you realized. She also knows your background, or at least as much as you told her of it. But I think she's ready and willing to take on any hurdles, if it means she gets to be at your side. She really loves you, Levi... that's something so rare and priceless, that so few of us ever find in our lives. To be honest, I'm a little envious of you."
Chuckling at the last statement, the researcher then sighed lightly staring out the window with a soft gaze.
"In a way... I think she's already decided what she wants for herself. She wants to be with you, even if you don't return her feelings. She's done everything to grow strong, so you'll be proud to have her as your subordinate. She's survived impossible odds, so you won't have to be sad over her death. She's doing everything possible to be of use to you. Isn't that proof that she's already made up her mind? But if you keep her at your side like this, without giving her a clear direction regarding your relationship, she'll end up losing herself."
Again turning to the young Captain, Hange stared at him until he felt compelled to look them in the eyes, and offered him a smile.
"Levi... she's precious to you, isn't she?"
=0=0=
"Then hold onto her..."
Hange's last words again echoed in his mind as he stared blankly at the half-written report in front of him, the sunset outside his window staining the paper red... like her hair. Dropping the pen when his mind again found some way to fixate on the girl, he buried his face in his hands sighing in relief at the comfortable darkness until a knock at the door brought him back to reality.
"Come in." he called out, reaching for the pen only to freeze when Natalie walked into his office.
Damn Hange... they'd gotten all those weird thoughts swirling in his head, and seeing the redhead wasn't helping him settle down in the least.
"Did I... come at a bad time, Captain?" she asked, hesitating when she noticed how oddly he was staring at her. "Are you alright?"
Forsaking the pen he instead leaned back in his seat with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes.
"Yeah... just a bit of a headache. What is it?"
"Say, Captain..." she spoke up after a brief pause, and the sternness in her tone already told him what she was about to say.
But then she hesitated again, and he had to open his eyes to see what kind of face she was making, to try and read her as he always did. However, the worry mixed with so many other emotions that he could see in her eyes wasn't what he had expected.
"Please... just get some rest. You're on the verge of collapsing." she said softly, and though faint he could hear the quiver of tears in her voice. "I can't stand seeing you like this... paperwork might be important, but your health is priceless. If anything happens to you, there's no one to take your place."
Again he felt that ridiculous urge to put his hands on her... not only to comfort her, but to drench himself in her sincerity, in her purity... to leave a mark on that pristine innocence of hers. And again he cursed Hange for putting all those thoughts into his head, for making him focus on the darkness he had tried so hard to lock away.
"Please!" she insisted when he didn't answer, her voice growing louder as she slammed her hands onto his desk and violently pulled him out of his thoughts. "Why are you doing this to yourself?! Was it something I did... something I said? If it was, please... just forgive me... just let me help you... just don't punish yourself because of me..."
When she at last failed to hold back her tears anymore, was when Levi felt something snap inside him. All the anger at being forced to the sidelines, all the frustration at getting injured in such a stupid way, all his conflicting feelings for Natalie... all of it was getting to be too much to bottle up anymore. He had to do something; he had to let everything out somehow, to get his mind to somehow reset so he could think calmly again.
"You want to help me, is that it?" he said, startling her into looking back at him.
"Yes. If there's a way, I want to do it..." she replied, her expression growing serious in spite of the tears staining her cheeks.
Without warning he stood and walked around the desk grabbing her by the arm. Next thing she knew he had quite literally thrown her onto her seat on the couch, now standing over her.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'll do whatever you need me to do, if I can help you."
Sliding his left knee up onto the couch, he used that to take his weight off the ankle and at the same time force her legs apart. One of his hands went onto the backrest next to her head, the other tracing her plush lips with his thumb.
In the blink of an eye her heartbeat spiked and her cheeks matched her hair in color when she felt his knee rubbing against her groin, and she had to swallow the sudden rush of saliva gathering in her mouth at the thought that he was about to kiss her. Yet when he leaned down over her, his lips went not for hers but for her ear where she felt his breath tickling her as he spoke in a low, sultry tone that made her skin tingle.
"Even if what I need right now... is to fuck you until you beg me to stop?"
Somewhere deep down he was still hoping that if he showed her his true nature, she would back off and he could protect her from himself. That he could keep her pure and untainted... even if the greater part of him was longing for him to have his way with her. But then she found the courage to respond; and he both loved and hated her for her answer, which confirmed everything Hange had told him earlier.
"Whatever you need; so long as it helps you... so long as I can help you..."
'You damn horny brat...' he huffed with a measure of amusement. 'Why did I expect you to say anything else? You're always so stupidly kind...'
Leaning back until his face hovered over hers, he had to take a moment to relish the mixture of determination and anxiety in her wide-open jade eyes.
"She's precious to you, isn't she? Then hold onto her..." Hange's words again played in his head, steeling his resolve for what he was about to do.
As if that thought had given him a physical push forward, his lips found hers and he unceremoniously pushed his tongue past them, his fingers leaving her chin to tangle in her hair as he grabbed her by the back of the neck. He knew she had no way of pulling back, trapped between him and the couch. Yet the need to know that she was wholly and undeniably in his hands drove him with almost a mind of its own. But she never resisted, never tried to stop him... and though some tiny part of him tried to deter him, he was grateful for the freedom she was allowing him, for the trust she was putting in him even when her own body was at stake.
For a blissful fragment of eternity he reveled in her taste, finding her response bolder than last time when she trapped his tongue between her soft lips, sucking tauntingly on it. Somehow her hand found its way to his thigh, and he knew she had fallen prey to desire when he felt her intently and purposefully moving her hips, grinding on his knee.
"Did I say you were allowed to get off on your own, you horny brat?" he huffed as her heated breath warmed his lips. "I thought you were the one helping me."
"I... I'm sor—" she pleaded, when he pressed his knee tighter to her groin halting her motions and yet arousing her even further.
Her voice died in a gasp when all too suddenly she felt his lips on her neck, his hands pushing her jacket down her shoulders and trapping her arms in place. With that done, she felt him fumbling with her shirt until he'd unbuttoned it just enough to where the edge of his cravat tickled her skin. Again she gasped, this time her voice mixed with a strangled moan when his teeth grazed her neck at the same instant when his hands took hold of her breasts through her bra.
'I'm happy... I'm so happy it's you... I'm so happy...'
It was all she could think, over and over like a prayer, as he began to kiss and bite his way down to her chest. But then she was abruptly wrenched out of that sweet stupor when she heard the doorknob turning, along with Miche's voice.
"Hey, Levi... Erwin wants to see—" he called out, his voice dying in a stunned stare as his eyes found them.
The horror on her flushed face could not have been deeper if she had seen a Titan suddenly standing there, and she barely even realized Levi had instantly pulled her jacket back up to cover her.
"No! Don't you dare smirk!" she all but screamed, covering her face with her hands when the man did just that.
But then she felt an arm wrapping gently around her head to pull her closer, and all of a sudden her face was buried in Levi's silky cravat, the fresh forest scent imbued in it helping to clear her head.
"Didn't anyone teach you how to fucking knock?!" the young Captain snapped, though he made no gesture to move from where he was shielding her.
"I'll just tell Erwin you're a bit... tangled up in work, right now." Miche replied, stepping back out and closing the door like nothing had happened.
"I'm sorry..." she apologized after she was certain she couldn't hear the man's footsteps anymore.
When he released her Natalie tried to look up at him and explain what she was apologizing for, when she felt him grab her by the waist. Next thing she knew she was lying on her back on the couch, staring up at him as he hovered over her.
"Captain... what if..." she began, her voice catching in her throat along with her breath when he grabbed one edge of her shirt and pulled it aside.
His hand again warmed her breast through the thin bra and she had to wonder if he could feel her drumming heartbeat through the flesh. But then her mind blanked when his lips found their way to her skin, right before a bolt of pain shot up her spine. Looking down she spotted the two darkened rows of small bruises left where he had bit into her breast hard enough to almost draw blood.
"I know this will be gone soon..." he said, tracing a gentle finger over the marks. "When the time comes, we'll talk about our future. Only if you don't forget about this. Of course, it's fine if you do forget about it..."
Though at first glance it didn't sound like anything too serious, for some reason his words struck her deeply. Was he telling her that it was fine if she forgot about him? That she could let him fade from her life, just like those marks would fade from her skin?
"I won't forget." she replied, reaching to cover his hand with her own.
When his eyes snapped back to hers, she could see in his gaze that her assumption had been right. Why was he being so protective of her? Why did he feel the need to protect her from himself, when he had been nothing but good to her all those years?
"I'll never forget." she promised, reaching up to stroke his cheek even at the risk of upsetting him. "Even if you never talk to me... I'll never forget."
She couldn't tell if he had really smiled, when he sighed almost in relief, or if she was just imagining things. But he leaned down to kiss her forehead before buttoning up her shirt again, and taking her hand to pull her up onto her seat.
"I'll go see what Erwin wants." he said, pulling away from her to stand. "You can stay here until you feel well enough to leave."
~ oOo ~
She couldn't tell if it was a dream, or an actual vision... that place always looked the same, regardless. All she knew was that she had eventually fallen asleep that night, only to wake up in that now somewhat familiar emptiness. As usual, the tree of light was far off on the horizon and yet its rays provided enough luminescence that she could perfectly see everything around her; not that there was much to see. Then she recalled that was the place where she usually saw her twin, and she turned to look in all directions only to realize she was alone.
"Why am I here then...?" she asked in confusion.
"Because I called you."
The soft voice had her spin on her heel to find her twin watching her from a few steps behind her.
"Where have you been? I needed you... do... do you even know what happened these past days?"
"Yes." she replied, and the sorrow on her face made Natalie's heart squeeze.
"Then you know if this was what I was supposed to do, right? I... I saved her, right? Tell me I saved that poor girl..."
In the stretching silence, she at last failed to control the horror on her face as she realized that was her answer.
"I..." she gasped, her vision blurring with tears until her sorrow turned to anger. "Why?! Why didn't you tell me?! Why weren't you here to tell me what I had to do?! What the fuck were you doing, while we were fighting that child?!"
Clenching her jaw when she realized she was shouting, she covered her eyes with one hand failing to stop the tears running down her cheeks.
"She was a child... she was just a child..." she whispered.
If that was what she was supposed to do with her life, then death would have been preferable. It was the feeling of a pair of arms wrapping around her that startled her out of her thoughts and she realized her twin was embracing her.
"I'm sorry... I wish I could have helped you. But the last time, I wasn't there to witness all of this. All I know is what Hange and Levi told me after they found me. I can only tell you the same, when you need it... nothing more."
"So how the hell am I supposed to change anything, then?" she frowned. "How can you put this burden on me and then tell me you can't even help me with it?"
"I'm sorry... I know it's not fair... and I never wished for this to happen to you. When I died, I never imagined I would become connected like this to you."
Damn it, she wanted to be angry at that useless twin of hers... but when the woman herself sounded on the verge of crying, how could she?
"I ran away last time... but now you have a chance to change things." her twin said, clasping the redhead's face – and it truly felt like looking into a mirror. "You have to change things, even if it will end up erasing my existence. If it means the survival of humanity... you have to do it."
"Erase you? I don't want that..." Natalie replied, still finding it hard to process that she was truly just talking to herself.
"It won't be so bad. Because you and I are not two different people... you are me, and I am you." the other one smiled softly.
"Then at least tell me why you called me here..." she at last heaved a sigh.
Stepping back, her mirror image regarded her in silence for a moment with a pained look, before finally speaking again.
"I know you've met the others already... Armin and Reiner... and Eren. And soon, you'll have to make an important choice. I don't know when or how, but I feel it. Just remember to think it through and decide if it's really worth revealing yourself."
Startled to hear her twin repeating Levi's advice at her, Natalie was left with a thousand questions swirling in her mind.
"What... what does that even mean?" she blurted out.
"Annie wasn't the only shifter within the Walls."
"Wha—?" she began, only to realize there was a reason why her twin kept telling her those names.
Sure, she knew Eren was a shifter, but... Armin?!
"There's no way Armin is one of the nine. There's just no— that doesn't even make any sense..."
"He isn't..."
"Then... Reiner?!" she gasped.
"They will try to take Eren soon... and you'll have to choose."
"Wait... you said 'they'... but if it's only Reiner..." she stammered in confusion, before sighing. "Can't you just speak clearly? Hey, wait!"
But her twin had already turned to walk away and within moments faded into nothing.
=0=0=
Waking with a start and a gasp, Natalie had to take a moment to realize she was back in her bed and that it was morning. She felt like she hadn't slept in days, but still she sat up with a sigh, running a hand through her hair.
"What the fuck am I supposed to do now?" she muttered to herself, before suddenly perking up as she recalled – yet again – that she wasn't alone.
Leaping out of bed and hastily getting dressed, she rushed out to find the one man she could talk to and seek advice from. Finding him about to leave his room, she startled him when she grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him back inside.
"I apologize, Captain... we need to talk." she pleaded, closing the door behind her.
"Isn't it a bit early in the day, to be seducing your Captain?" he retorted with a measure of amusement.
"Th-that's not—" she huffed, trying to hold back her laugh. "This is serious, Captain... my... 'twin' came to see me last night."
Her words erased every bit of humor from his demeanor and he walked over to her to lock the door, before gesturing for her to sit on the chair at the small desk set by the window. While she did that he took up a seat on his bed, now staring at her intently.
"So? What did she say?"
"We... talked a bit about Annie and... she told me about the others like her. Do you remember when I told Commander Erwin that the Armored and Colossal Titans have to be shifters, like Eren? There's just nothing else that makes any sense, regarding them."
"I do... did she tell you who they are?" he inquired, a glint coming to his gaze.
"She mentioned Reiner... he recently joined the Survey Corps along with the rest of the cadets from the 104th. I've been thinking while I was getting dressed earlier... Annie was part of the 104th as well. What if... what if both the Armored and Colossal Titans are hiding among this group? If they're trying to get Eren, it only makes sense they would stick close to him."
At first the young Captain fell silent, mulling over her words, until he at last got back to his feet.
"Come with me." he ordered, unlocking the door and leaving the room.
To Natalie's surprise, he took her to the archive which was off-limits to anyone other than Erwin and the officers. Walking over to one of the shelves, he scanned the labels placed on the boxes containing soldiers' files. Calling her over he pulled out one of the boxes and plopped it into her arms, before retrieving a second one and once more beckoning her to follow him. Once in his office he again locked the door behind them, to avoid any interruptions, and dropped the box onto the couch.
"These are the files of the 104th Cadets who joined the Survey Corps. We'll go through all of them and try to find any correlations."
"I see..." she gasped in surprise.
Taking a seat right away she placed the box next to her and took out the topmost file, only to be startled when she felt Levi's hand weighing on her head.
"What... was that for?" she inquired, when he said nothing and simply took a seat next to her after removing the black coat hanging on his shoulders.
"This is the first time you ever asked me that... but it's not like it's the first time I do it without a clear reason."
"I'm sorry... I guess I'm more... self-conscious now." the redhead replied, instinctively placing a hand over her heart where he had left that mark on her.
Turning back to her work she opened the file to find Annie's picture attached to the first page.
"...She was just a child." she whispered, drawing Levi's gaze to the portrait. "She was supposed to be able to rely on the adults around her, to protect her. And instead she was forced into that impossible situation..."
Again he reached to weigh a gentle hand on her head, soaking in her words before he replied.
"Even so... this child killed over a hundred of our men, not to mention our squad and the soldiers in Stohess. And Reiner and whoever the other one is... if they really are the two who breached the Walls... that means they are responsible for the deaths of thousands of men, women and children. I know you pity them, because you're too kind to feel any hatred even when the person in front of you deserves it. We didn't have a choice; maybe... she's better off like this, than being tortured for information."
"But it didn't change anything... if we want a better future, I have to..."
Though he said nothing more, he reached over to take hold of her hand with a reassuring grasp. And she knew he was telling her that she wasn't alone; that no matter how twisted and confusing the road ahead was, he was there with her... he would be there with her, every step of the way.
~ oOo ~
It was almost noon when they had finally finished checking all the files thoroughly, singling out two aside from Annie's.
"Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover..." Levi murmured, reading their names aloud. "They're the only ones who claim to come from the same village as Annie. It makes sense that they would be the main suspects... even if Bertholdt turns out to not be a shifter, he might still be an accomplice so he'll have to be included in whatever plans we make."
"Then... should we tell Commander Erwin about this?"
"Yeah." he replied, gathering up the three dossiers and making his way out of the office only to poke his head back in when she didn't follow. "What are you dawdling around for?"
"Y-yes!" she gasped, only then realizing he had meant for her to go with him.
On the way there she was silent, trying to figure out just what in the world she was supposed to do about those two.
"You two seem to be getting along much better lately." Erwin greeted them, smiling knowingly upon – yet again – seeing them together.
"Save the jokes for later." Levi retorted, closing the door behind him and locking it causing Erwin to arch a curious brow. "Here..."
Offering him the three files, he waited until the Commander opened them to see the sketches of the recruits' faces.
"What am I looking for?"
"Well, Natalie once again lived up to her brother's reputation..." the young Captain replied, walking over to plop down on the couch. "But she can tell you about it better than I can."
Turning his piercing blue eyes onto her, Erwin nodded his approval for the girl to speak leaving her to gulp at suddenly being put under the spotlight.
"Well... since we agreed that the Colossal and Armored Titans had to be people like Eren, I've been thinking about it. Then the whole madness with the Female Titan happened and I thought... what if those two were also hiding within the Walls, like she was?"
"...And?" he inquired, his tone telling her that he had likely thought as much himself. "What does this have to do with these two boys?"
"They're both from the same village as Annie and they're both members of the 104th, who recently joined the Survey Corps. So, I thought that... even if they turn out to not be the Titans, they might still have some information about everything. However, I strongly believe at least Reiner is... like Eren. I believe... he resembles the Armored Titan to an extent, as it was described by those who have seen it in Shiganshina."
Internally thanking Mikasa for putting that idea into her head with Annie, she then went silent while the Commander examined the boy's picture again.
"I see..." he said, and in those simple words she understood that he too had spotted the uncanny resemblance.
"However..." she said hastily before he could issue any orders, startling him into looking back at her. "I was hoping... maybe we could talk to them first. Please... I tried to talk Annie out of it. I tried to get her on our side, but I got to her too late when she was already cornered and desperate. But with them... if I could talk to them now, when they don't know we suspect them. What if we could get them to side with us? To give up information willingly and maybe help us, like Eren does?"
Pausing when she realized she had raised her voice in her eagerness, she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"I apologize, Commander—"
"It's quite alright." he replied. "We don't admonish soldiers for their passion. Go on."
"What I meant to say is... if they really are in league with Annie, if they have the same entity driving them from behind, then they too are after Eren. And now that they saw what happened to her, it's likely that they'll make their move soon. That means that if we're going to try getting them to side with us, we have to do it now while they still think they're in the clear. Also I... I don't want to have to fight another child."
"I say we can let her try." Levi concurred. "She's good with words; if she sways them to our side, the Survey Corps would be that much more powerful against the Titans."
Taking in both of their statements, Erwin fell silent mulling over things for a bit. There was something neither of them was telling him, and he had first gotten that feeling while they were discussing the plan regarding Annie, at the castle.
'Could it be...?' he pondered, his eyes trailing back to the redhead.
Was it possible that she was like them? That Levi knew about it and was protecting her? In all honesty, he couldn't blame the man after what Eren had been put through. But at the same time he also had no actual evidence that she was like that boy. Perhaps she truly was just too kindhearted to discard her humanity, even if it meant better odds of winning.
"Then humor me with answering this question..." he at last replied. "What do you think the outcome of that would be? Better yet; if you were in their shoes, what would you do?"
It was nigh imperceptible, but he noticed how both her and Levi tensed up at that. However, while it served to strengthen his suspicions he would never act against them without some proof. Not when both of them were wholly dedicated to helping humanity.
"That's something I cannot predict... I don't know them well enough, to make that kind of assumption. But from my own personal perspective, I would rather ally myself with those who are trying to do the right thing."
"I see. I will allow you to speak to them, but only in Levi's presence. After all, if they are truly who we think they are and things get out of control, at least we'll still have a chance to... contain the situation."
While they were clearly hiding something from him, at the same time he had never heard even one lie in their voice. Thus, he was willing to gamble yet again... to put his trust and the fate of humanity in their hands.