Chapter 6
"We're close, Captain. We should arrive at the base in another ten minutes or so." Jean said as he rode on the horse. Rosaria nodded, eyes glancing towards her other three team members. "Remind me again why we're not allowed to know the location of the base and instead need Jean to bring us there? Isn't this just redundant?" A young man with black hair said. Rosaria averted her eyes to him. "Commander is taking the necessary precautions. Although it's unlikely Marley has any idea that we have the colossal titan, it's better to be safe than sorry if they've planted spies in our ranks. Information on the Special Ops Squad is kept to the bare minimum to prevent a repeat of the tragedy caused by the Female Titan." Rosaria explained.
"We're here." Jean announced. Rosaria could make out the dusty and old castle and the stables by the front.
A knock sounded on Levi's office door. "State your name and business." Levi said, bringing a cup of tea to his lips. "Rosaria, sir." Levi set the cup down. "Come in." Rosaria steps in and salutes. "Stand down, Rosaria." Rosaria eases and sits down on the chair opposite of Levi's table. "Did you lose weight, Corporal? The last time I saw you I could have sworn you had chubbier cheeks." Levi clicked his tongue. "Having Eren on kitchen duty dulls my appetite apparently with the horrible shit he serves." Rosaria laughed.
"Well, you'll be happy to know I was voted the top five best cooks in the Scouts and would be glad to fill those hollow cheeks of yours again, Corporal." Rosaria announced proudly. "Great. I'd do anything to take out Eren from the kitchen roster. If only the kid's cooking skills could heal as fast as his wounds." Levi poured a cup of tea and set it in front of Rosaria.
"It's great to have you back, sir. Hate to admit it, but I miss having you shoot orders instead." Levi raised an eyebrow as he stared at Rosaria. "It's so stressful to be Hanji's right hand while you were gone. I have to take care of all the cadets, deal with the other squad captains' shitty behaviors and have them breathe down my neck… and I have to clean up after Hanji! Have you seen her office?! It's like a titan threesome party in there!" Levi laughed, almost choking on his tea.
"Good to know that someone finally understands how I feel." Rosaria sighed, gulping down the tea in one go. "And the other ex-Garrison captains! Ugh! They're like mad dogs fighting for a bone the moment you left! Everyone's fighting for power and politics even when Hanji made it clear we don't want any internal hierarchy between the veterans. But no- instead of training and strategizing how to protect Paradis from an invasion from Marley in the near future, they're fighting about who gets to show up at the military banquet party and get their dirty hand kissed by the Queen!" Levi shook his head. "You'd be surprised how much those disgusting old geezers fantasize about being kissed by the Queen." Rosaria cringed at Levi's words.
"Anyways, I'm glad to not have to be the one to fight with the other captains for now. Those hellish two months without you were terrible." Levi sipped his tea. "What about you, Corporal? Did you miss me?" Rosaria asked, eyes sparkling as she stared at Levi. She gave a mischievous grin and inched her face closer to Levi's. Levi inched his face closer to Rosaria's and stared right into her emerald green eyes. Rosaria flinched slightly, uncomfortable at the sudden close proximity. Then Levi placed the tip of his index finger on her forehead and flicked her skull, hard.
Rosaria groaned in pain as she stumbled backward from Levi's force. "As if I would miss a noisy and crazy brat like you." Levi stood up from his seat and grabbed his beige jacket. "Enough chit-chatting, Captain. Let's get down to business"
Days passed by quickly as Rosaria and Levi's squad woke at dawn and trained with Armin's and Eren's titan abilities until late dusk. Their days were filled head to toe with vigorous training, formations and working as a team to take down a titan-shifter. Today was no exception as Rosaria zipped across the dense forest with her 3DMG gear. They were experimenting with Armin's colossal titan abilities and how big of a range and impact it would have to determine how best to use his abilities in a critical situation. They were split into Levi squad and Rosaria squad, in which two teams were scheduled to meet at different rendezvous points at scheduled times to make sure they were out of Armin's firing range.
Rosaria swiftly landed on one of the tree branches up high and crouched down on one knee, looking downwards as she heard two sets of boots crunching against leaves behind hers.
Wait, two?
Rosaria's careful eyes scanned the faces of her subordinates - Luca, a young girl from the 105th training corps and Sam, a young man in her 20s and a Private transferred from the Garrison just like Rosaria. "Where's Samuel?" Rosaria's voice was alarmed. Luca and Sam exchanged glances. They two were unsure. Rosaria furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her watch.
"Where the hell is Samuel?" Rosaria scanned the dense forest, searching for any sounds or signs of Samuel. They had practiced this formation a few times already, there was no way Samuel could have forgotten the rendezvous point or time. "Armin's going to transform anytime soon. Do you think Samuel is still in range?" Luca asked, worried. Rosaria clicked her tongue, running through the various simulations of where Samuel would be. "It's likely something happened to Samuel and he's still in Armin's firing range when he transforms." Rosaria clicked the trigger on her right, checking the amount of gas she has.
"Levi Squad is at the other end of the perimeter while Armin is in the center..." Rosaria mumbled to herself. "We only have four minutes before Armin transforms. That's not enough time for me to get to Armin nor Levi Squad - leaving me in firing range and being blown to bits by Armin's scheduled attack." Sam cringed and bit his lower lip. Rosaria pulled out a small gun from her belt and aimed it towards the sky, clicking the trigger as black smoke erupted and a sharp sound echoed.
"I doubt anyone can see the signal considering how far we are - but it's our only option. Sam, Luca - stay out of firing range and try to fire the signal as much as you can. If we're lucky, Armin might be able to spot it." Sam and Luca nodded, shuffling their belts for the gun. "I'm going to find Samuel. If I don't make it back in time, don't come after me. There's no guarantee Armin won't release his attack and you'll only get caught in the fire." Sam swallowed a hard lump in his throat. "Find Corporal Levi once the attack is over and it's safe to be within range." Rosaria says, turning her head towards Luca and Sam before she clicks the trigger and swings towards the north of the dense forest at terrifying speed.
As she zips through the air, eyes scanning carefully for any signs of Samuel; she can hear the sounds of the signal flare getting further and further. Rosaria clicked her tongue, heart beating fast in her chest. "Samuel! Samuel! Where are you?!" Rosaria's shouts echo in the forest. She continues her shouts for what seemed like a good minute and she lands on top of a branch. She glances down at her watch.
2 minutes.
If I make a beeline towards the rendezvous point now, I can still stay out of firing range. But Samuel….
Rosaria tightened her grip on her gear.
Do I have to abandon the life of my subordinate to save my own?
Rosaria bit down her lower lip as she contemplated her options. As she was deep in thought, she heard something from the tip of her ears. She flinched, turning her head towards the west. She clicks the trigger, rushing towards the source of the voice. As she sprints faster, she can hear Samuel's cries.
"Captain!" Samuel shouts, kneeling on the ground with tangled wires. Rosaria sees him from the corner of her eyes and in a flash, her anchors dug into the tree branch near Samuel and she propels herself and lands swiftly next to Samuel. "M-my gear malfunctioned! It's not working correctly. I can't move-" Rosaria snatches the gear in her own fingers and presses the buttons furiously. "You didn't do a double check on your gear this morning?" Rosaria asked somewhat calmly despite the sheen of sweat on her forehead. "N-no…" Samuel's reply is full of guilt and fear. "Stand up and don't move!" Rosaria yells and Samuel follows, standing up to full height and with a flash, Rosaria cuts the wires of his gears with a swift swing of her blades. The 3DMG gear falls on the ground with a quiet thud.
"Get on my back, hands around my neck." Samuel follows quickly, not hesitating. "With the added weight, my speed will greatly decrease. I'll try my best to be as fast as I can with all the gas I have so you have to hold on to me with your life!" Samuel nods, already wrapping his legs around Rosaria's torso and his arms around her neck. Rosaria clicks the trigger with record speed, sprinting back into the air without delay. She whizzes through the air, each click of her trigger releasing steady amounts of gas and whizzing past the forest with lighting speed. As Rosaria is about to check her watch, a flash of lighting flashes through the blue sky. Rosaria and Samuel gape, goosebumps traveling down their skin.
Shit, Armin transformed. He didn't see the signal.
"W-what are we going to do?!" Samuel panics. Rosaria scans her surroundings with one scan of her eyes. "We're still too close to firing range. We need cover." Rosaria pants. She fires into a thick branch and propels herself and Samuel forward. "I'll continue to sprint us forward - listen for the attack. Once Armin releases the attack - we need to take cover." Samuel turns his head back and swallows. Ten seconds pass by slowly as a loud crashing sound vibrates throughout the entire forest and red flames appear in the corner of Samuel's eyes.
"It's here!" Rosaria bites her lower lip and aims towards the nearest tree she can find. She kneels down on the tree branch and grabs Samuel out of her grip. "Take cover!" Rosaria yells as she presses Samuel under her body towards the large tree stump. A flash of red and yellow light the forest as all sound dies out.
Destruction.
That was the only word that Rosaria could think of to describe the sight unfolding before her. This was the power of the Colossal Titan. Destruction - until only a sea of corpses stood underneath him. As Rosaria braced for impact, pain erupts all over her body as she is sent flying. The next thing she sees is the abyss - as she lets pain embrace her.
Levi watched the tick of his watch as he took it out from his breast pocket. He turns towards his squad - Eren, Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, and Connie all accounted for and safe. Armin had released a powerful display of his power as scheduled to test out how big was the range and impact. As Levi watched a large perimeter of the forest now reduced to ashes and a low fire burning in the middle - he raises his eyebrows when he hears footsteps on a tree branch by his side.
"Corporal Levi!" Levi turned his head, noting how distraught Sam looked. When their eyes meet - Levi can already tell something went wrong, terribly wrong. "Captain Rosaria and Samuel were likely caught in Armin's attack. We have to search for them!" Levi's eyes widened, feeling his fingers ball into fists.
"What happened?" Levi barked. "Samuel didn't show up at the rendezvous point. Captain asked us to fire the black flare but we were too far out for Armin or Levi Squad to notice… captain went to look for Samuel and never came back." Levi let out a low growl as he slammed his fist into the nearby tree trunk.
He couldn't believe it. This was just an exercise. This wasn't war. This wasn't enemy territory. How could he let two of his subordinates die? No…. How could he let her die?
"Mikasa and Jean - go find Armin and make sure he's okay and not out of control. Cut his nape if you have to, Jean is in charge." Jean and Mikasa nodded, zipping off into the distance. "Sasha and Connie - we'll ride on Eren's shoulder after he transforms to commence a search and rescue." Eren nods, instantly biting his hand as lightning flashed. He turns into his titan form and heavy steam surrounds him. "Sam, go find Luca. Both of you will wait back at the base. Under no circumstances do you leave, do you understand?" Sam nods and fires his grapples.
Levi fires his own grapples to a high tree branch and lands easily on Eren's shoulder, continued by both Sasha and Connie. Eren runs throughout the ablaze forest - his big feet stomping and shaking the ground with every step. Levi searches high and low, trying to find anything. Should he be looking for a corpse? A broken body part? A limb? A head? Levi swallowed and let out a low growl. How could this happen under his watch?
"I'll always be by your side… until the day comes for you to reunite with them. So until then… I'll stick to you with your favorite cup of tea waiting in hand."
Levi's reminded of the words Rosaria said when they had just met. Levi bit his lower lip until the inside of his mouth tasted like metal. His head flashed with memories of the runt she brought into the Scouts, the time they spared, the embrace and vulnerability they shared in that little cabin when they went hiking in the winter…. The garden. God, he was looking forward to returning to HQ and seeing how much his plants grew with her. Now, all of that seemed to burn to ashes just like the forest around them.
"Keep your eyes peeled. It's likely they would have tried to find cover behind a tree." Levi's hoarse voice said. Sasha and Connie nodded as Eren continued running. Minutes passed and yet all they could find was burnt trees, a black patch of grass, and corpses of animals. Connie swallowed, he was starting to lose faith. "Do you think they're still alive?" Connie asked quietly. No one responds.
"Keep your eyes focused, Connie. If they're alive, we need to act quickly." Levi ordered. In the corner of Eren's eyes, he sees something unfamiliar. He yells with his hoarse titan voice, alerting the others as he points. Levi shifts his vision, focusing on the small something that was slumped across the large tree log. As Eren runs closer, a shiver travels down Levi's spine. He sees a body slumped lifelessly on the large fallen tree log, face-down. Crimson blood surrounded her like a painting and her blonde hair glistened in the sunlight.
Levi draws a sharp gasp.
He's brought back to the day of the 57th expedition - when the female titan killed his entire squad. He remembers it as clear as daylight - Petra's body slumped across the tree trunk lifelessly with her dull, lifeless eyes staring up. He remembers feeling like his heart gave up on him at that exact moment, the pain coursing through his body as he silently held it in just like the countless times he did since he joined the Scouts. Now, it feels like he is reliving that day a second time as he watches Rosaria come closer into view.
"It's captain Rosaria!" Sasha yells, eyes squinting as she stares into the distance. Levi presses his trigger, not bothering to wait for Eren to stop. He fires his grapples cleanly into the nearest tree trunk and propels himself in a straight line towards Rosaria. He lands onto the ground with a large crunch as his boots step onto ash. He eyes Rosaria's body carefully. Her face is downwards and he's unsure of the injuries she's sustained - judging from the amount of blood, it's not good. Levi kneels down, his fingers pressing into the tender spot in her pale neck. He waits, desperately waiting for the pulse to touch his fingertips. As the seconds pass, his mind is running in all different directions until a small pulse comes to life.
"She's alive!" Levi yells. "Connie, take Eren and find Samuel. Sasha, come and help me." Connie nods and whispers into Eren's ears and the two take off again. Sasha lands swiftly and examines Rosaria's body. "She's badly hurt…" Sasha says shakily. "Flip her over so her face is upwards." Levi gently moves Rosaria's upper body towards the right and Sasha gently moves her lower body. With a gentle thud, Rosaria is facing the sky and her body is placed on the ground. "She has a steady heartbeat but she's unconscious." Sasha says, placing her head gently on Rosaria's chest. "Rosaria, Rosaria - wake up!" Levi yells, slapping Rosaria's face. She doesn't respond. Levi does a quick sweep of her tattered body and licks his dry lips. He saw the unnatural angle of her right foot and the way it was twisted in the opposite direction, then the various cuts on her right arm and torso that definitely needed stitching, then the burns….
Levi swallowed a hard lump in his throat.
They were probably first and second degree burns on her right arm and leg. She was lucky as the left side was mostly clear. From the injuries, it was clear Rosaria's right side was exposed to the impact while she successfully shielded her left.
"Sasha, take off her gear. Slice it off if you need to." Sasha nods, putting her hands to work. Levi continued to slap Rosaria's cheek lightly, hoping it would wake her up. "Rosaria, Rosaria!" After what seemed like minutes, Rosaria's eyes fluttered lightly and she groaned. "Rosaria, can you hear me?" Levi asked, holding her head. Rosaria blinks, eyes closing for a second then opening the next and closing again. A whimper escapes from her throat and she shifts uncomfortably. "Her consciousness is sliding in and out. Likely a concussion. We need to get her to the medics." Levi growls. Sasha slices off the last of the harness on Rosaria's uniform and gently removes all of her gear.
"Sasha, find Eren and Connie. Let them know Eren needs to transport Rosaria to the medic base now." Sasha nods, adjusting her gear as she zips off. Levi glances down at Rosaria, a bloodied mess on the ground. "Stay awake, brat. I know it hurts like hell but stay with me. You're going to be fine." Rosaria whimpers in pain like a child stolen of candy. "Shh… You're going to be ok. I won't let anything happen to you." Levi coos as he gently strokes Rosaria's bloodied cheek. Rosaria's glassy eyes glance towards Levi and she weakly grabs the edge of Levi's jacket.
"L-Levi….?" Levi nods as he supports Rosaria's head in his lap. "Brat it's me. Stay awake. You'll be safe, I promise." Rosaria grunts and whimpers at the same time. "W-why does...it….hurt…." Rosaria closes her eyes shut and tears roll down her eyes. Levi takes out his cravat and gently wipes the tears and blood away from her face. "Eren is coming then we'll get you to the medics, ok? Hang on until then." Rosaria bites her lower lip, still dizzy and unsure of what's happening. "E-eren…? What….why…." She stares into the distance for seconds until she lets out a sharp gasp and flinches. "S-Samuel..!" Rosaria yells hoarsely. She tries to sit up but finds her legs utterly weak and her head spinning. Levi pushes her shoulders back to the ground and hovers over her.
"Don't move. You have a concussion and possibly some broken ribs." Rosaria isn't listening, instead, she takes another sharp gasp. "S-Samuel….He...he….wh-where is….he…" Rosaria says through shaky breaths, tears flowing down her face as she whimpered; not from pain but from grief. "Worry about yourself more, brat. Eren and Connie are looking for him." Rosaria whimpers even louder this time. Levi sighs, trying his best to hold her down without hurting her. He hears loud footsteps approaching and sighs in relief.
"Finally." Levi gets up, staring at Eren's approaching titan form. He sees Eren holding out his left palm as if he was holding something - and he makes out Connie and a passed out Samuel. Levi sighs in relief. "Eren, you need to get closer. We can't move Rosaria too much due to the severe injuries she has." Eren nods, running faster this time. Then he stops directly in front of Levi and Rosaria, his foot inches away. Eren kneels down carefully, making sure he doesn't drop his passengers on his hand. He then lays his palm flat on the ground, allowing them to see face-to-face.
"How's Samuel?" Levi asks. "Unconscious but breathing. Possibly a concussion and a few minor cuts and first degree burns. I think Captain Rosaria tried to cover him during the impact." Levi clicked his tongue.
Stupid brat.
"I'm going to carefully move Rosaria. Eren, don't move too much." Sasha whispers into Eren's ears and he nods. "Sasha, you need to help me move her. I don't want to move her too much and risk breaking something." Sasha lands towards the ground. Levi scoops both of his arms underneath Rosaria's thighs and Sasha scoops her arms underneath Rosaria's armpits. They lift her off the ground and a pained whimper escapes Rosaria's mouth as she jerks her head back in pain.
"You'll have to bear it, Rosaria." Levi orders. Rosaria cries, shakily putting her good hand over her mouth as she cried again when Levi moved her body. They slowly moved her towards Eren's palm, putting her down next to Samuel. "All clear, Eren." Connie shouts. Eren rises to full height and carefully balances his palm as he runs through the dense forest and towards the base.
Author's notes:
Double chapter after the long update! I was kinda sad that there weren't many reviews for this fic and it seemed like no one was reading it… so I felt demotivated to write for the longest time ever. Then I got a review from Guest who said that she liked my writing and that she was reading fanfics again to recover from heartbreak and it broke a little something in me to not update for this dear Guest. I actually haven't been writing for close to… 2 years it seems after I started working full time as a consultant. At first, I was trying to write an original book but I kind of gave up after a few months. It really isn't easy and work was too much for me. Then I met my first love and things were pretty "happy" for a while… until he broke up with me out of the blue.
It's been nine months since the breakup and I'm pretty much still having an existential crisis and am trying to write again to find some kind of purpose in life. I really have no idea how to keep soldiering on at this point. Truth be told, I'm very much lost and unsure of what to do in life and it feels like I'm just being swept away by the current like an ocean. And… anxiety and depression go hand-in-hand as well.
Anyways, I just hope I can bring some people an ounce of happiness in this world by writing this, and hopefully, I'll feel less lost and be able to… soldier on with life again.
Please leave a review ;)