Hello all! Back with another chapter, and I must say I am really enjoying writing this story. Thank you so much to those that have read the first chapter, reviewed, and followed already. I am hoping to get a chapter out every other day, but I just couldn't wait to punch this one out. Thanks again, and don't forget to please review!

As the story turns….

Chapter Two: Humanity's Strongest Soldier

All Levi Ackerman could do was look out towards the Armored Titan as it ran from the wall. Carrying the Colossal Titan along with Eren and Ymir. His ankle ached as he tried to wrap his mind around what was happening. They had failed. Another defeat for humanity.

He looked out at the bodies of soldiers too close to the Colossal when it fell from the wall, distracting Eren from beating the Armored Titan. Luckily no losses, but the burns from the steam did a number on the soldiers. Especially Hange.

They were so close, Eren was so close, but once again the Titans made a move that they did not anticipate. They would never win until they learned more. Until they could predict their enemy's movements. Of course, the next appropriate move would be to go after them, but where were they going? Did the Scouts even have the manpower to make such a journey? The losses that they had sustained over the years weighed heavy on him, but everyone knew that death was a high possibility when they joined the Scouts.

His eyes continued to focus as the Titan faded into the distance. Once it was out of sight, he began to look around to make sure there were no other casualties. That is when his eyes saw her.

Riding on a black horse, a small woman approached the wall. No apparent weapon, no gear. How did she make it this far? Who was she? Was she another shifter? Before any of those still standing could pick up on what he was looking at, he took off down the wall to confront the woman. No the best plan considering his ankle was bothering him, and there was a high probability it was another Titan in human form, but he didn't care. He could distract while the others found safety. He was Humanity's Strongest Solider after all.

He heard the others call out his name as he zipped down the wall. He didn't turn back to them as his eyes locked with the woman. She seemed shocked and even impressed by what he was doing. His mouth smirked slightly at her baffled expression.

He landed as softly as he could before immediately whipping his blades out. He had had enough surprises for one day, and he wanted to make damn sure that this woman knew to tread carefully.

"Who are you? State your business." He ordered. Showing no room for negotiations. She looked at him for what seemed like ages. Her dark blue eyes boring into his as his resolve almost faltered. He couldn't deny that she was stunning. While such things never usually caught his attention, his duty refusing him such pleasantries, he was still a man. A man that could appreciate beauty when it was staring at him in the face. She was almost inhuman.

At that last thought his stance tightened, and his eyes burned as he waited for her response. He could see the wheels working in her head as she debated on what to say. On what wouldn't get her killed in this very instance, but time was running out, and so was his patience. Before he could press her further, her melody like voice spoke...

"My name is Serenity Moon." She said hesitantly. She added nothing further than her name. His teeth gritted slightly at her lack of further explanation.

"Well, that was a name," Levi stated in an icy tone, "but you failed to state the nature of your business and WHO you are. Were the questions that difficult, brat?"

Serenity did a double take at his use of brat. She giggled slightly, clearly noting the man's mistake of thinking she was young. Sure, she appeared to be in her early 20s, but she outranked him in the age department by a millennium. She would guess he was late 20s, early 30s. Handsome face with a jaw that could cut ice. His eyes though, they were something to behold. She figured he took great pride in his stoic expression, but those eyes gave away everything.

Levi's eyebrows darted into his raven hair as he listened to the woman chuckling at him. Did he stutter? Did she hit her head and is now delusional? He quickly raised his blades even further as he strengthened his stance, ready to knock her down at the slightest indication she was going to shift.

"Hold on my dear." Serenity said, still chuckling. "I mean you no harm. As far as my business..." she paused as she considered whether she should lie, but that wasn't her. She could always just stay as close to the truth as possible - without offering too much information. "My village was destroyed, along with all the people living there. I have been traveling – trying to find any sign of human life. It took me quite some time to spot this wall, and I figured my best option was to head in this direction. As far as who I am, I told you. My name is Serenity Moon."

Levi only stared at her. It didn't add up. She was from outside the wall? She couldn't have been from Wall Maria. It had been destroyed over five years ago. He knew she didn't come from there. There was no way anyone could survive out there. So, from outside the wall? He didn't know of any villages outside of the wall. He didn't know of anyone coming from outside the wall – aside from where Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie came from, and all three of those turned out to be Titan shifters. She didn't appear as if her home had been destroyed either. While her clothing wasn't like anything he had seen before, she was well put together and clean. She didn't appear as if she had been riding for days on end. She had no belongings on her. No food. Nothing.

No. This story didn't make sense. She was lying, and Levi knew it. He rushed towards her, ready to take her to the ground and handcuff her until they were able to figure out who or what she was. If she was a shifter, they could get more information on their enemy.

What Levi hadn't anticipated was how quick the woman was. Before he could even reach her, she had jumped off her horse into the air and kicked at his leg, sending him to the ground as she landed on top of him. She pinned him there - banging his wrists to the ground to force his hands to let go of the blades.

Levi's eyes opened wide in shock. How was she that fast? Quicker than he had anticipated. She was strong too as he felt her hands pin him down, her legs straddling him as she used them to keep him in place. If the situation were any different, Levi might have blushed at the awkward position.

"Now, now," she said with such calm to her voice. "I do not want to hurt you. I do not want to fight you, and I am not your enemy. So, can you please loosen up a bit?"

"Tsk." Levi scoffed. "If you are not my enemy, then why was every word out of your mouth a lie? Your story is not plausible, so the only conclusion is you are lying. What are you trying to hide? What are you?" Levi never once flinched as he grilled the woman. He wondered if the others were scaling down the wall to intervene, but then realized most were injured or low on gas. Great Levi. Just great.

"What am I? What kind of question is that?" Serenity asked incredulously. "What do I look like to you?"

"Are you a Titan shifter?!" Levi barked out, still unable to move from the lock she had on him.

"Titan shifter?" Serenity pondered the question before her eyes lit up. "You mean like those big creatures out there? So, they are human. What happened to them? Is there a way of changing them back?"

Levi could only blink at the woman. What the actual hell was going on? How did she not know of the Titans? Was she completely daft? Mental? He knew she was telling the truth in the way her eyes shown, but it just didn't make sense.

Serenity knew she was saying too much at this point, based off the man's expression, but ultimately if she could just go ahead and identify the problem, figure out a solution, then perhaps she could help Earth once more before having to return to her duty as the Cosmic Warrior. But, to identify the problem, she had to ask the questions. No harm done. She wouldn't be here for that long anyway, and their memory of her would fade with time, as it always did.

She sighed as the man remained silent just staring at her as if she had six heads. "Fine, yes, I was semi dishonest in the sense that I didn't provide you with further detail. My home was destroyed a long time ago, all those there perished with it." Her eyes glistening over as the memories flashed through her mind before she blinked the tears away. "I have been looking around here for signs of life, and all I saw was the wall and those things you call Titans. I saw the wall and considered it my best option, so here I am - and no, I am not a Titan. There is no lie in there my good sir, just merely some details missing. As far as the details, there are some memories too painful to relive and are best kept under lock and key." Her eyes held fast with his as he continued to study her. He didn't move as he was transfixed by what she was saying. She was clever. The story vague enough to not present a lie, but also lacking in what he needed to know to verify if she was or wasn't a threat.

As his silence continued to ring, she decided to continue. "So, if you would, please don't slice my throat, and I will gladly get off you so we can have a normal conversation. Minus the violence please." Levi could only nod as she slowly got off him - watching his every move like a hawk. She reached out a hand to help him up, but he refused. As he stood, he reached for the blades discarded on the ground.

"Hey, what did I say about violence?" Serenity said in a warning tone. Levi suppressed the urge to role his eyes.

"I am only putting them back where they belong, but don't be mistaken. I will keep my hand on the hilt just in case you decide to escalate things." Levi placed the swords back in their sheaths as he turned to face the girl once more. She was a few inches shorter than him, her frame was tiny, and her hair longer than he had ever seen.

"So, who do I have the pleasure of speaking to? You know my name, but I have yet to learn yours." The question caused Levi to pause for the briefest moment. Debating on whether he should tell her or not, but he didn't see any harm in it.

"I am Captain Levi Ackerman of the Scout Regiment." He said simply.

"So, you are military. Kind of figured after that display of you jutting down the wall. You hold yourself like a soldier, and the clothes are a giveaway." Serenity muttered mainly to herself. Levi could only raise an eyebrow at the girl. "Where am I?" She asked.

"You are standing within Wall Rose. Near the village of Shiganshina. It was destroyed around five years ago when Titans broke down the walls and entered." Levi answered.

"So, Titans did this?" Serenity gazed around at all the destruction. Her eyes showing the sorrow that she felt for the lives that had been stolen. The look honestly threw Levi. Of course, he was still perplexed by her, but in that look, he could tell there was no malice or ill will. She honestly didn't know what was going on. Either that or she was an extremely good actress and his ability to read people was failing. He still eyed her with a certain level of distrust, but his stance was less rigged as he continued to observe her.

"What are they?" She whispered as she continued to take in everything. "Why would they do this? Were they once human?"

"They do this because their only goal in life is to eat every last human. They have almost succeeded. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. As far as why, no one has been able to answer that question convincingly – along with the question of whether they were once human." Levi's tone remained neutral, but it was strange having to explain this. "Why do you think they were once human? The shape of them?" He asked.

"Partially." She answered. "But there is such sadness in their eyes. They look lost, as if someone has stolen their very soul from them." She did not face him, so she couldn't see how his eyes widened at her observation. How could she decipher something like that? He thought to himself. She finally turned to face him, ignoring the shocked expression he was giving her. "So, on the brink of extinction. How many are left?" The words tasted bitter in her mouth.

"A little over a million or so." Levi answered.

She couldn't stop the tears falling. From seven billion to just one million. She shouldn't have run from this planet for so long. What had she done? She should have been here to protect the lives of all those innocent people. "I have failed." She choked out as the tears continued to fall.

Levi tensed up seeing the emotion on her face. What did she mean by 'she failed'? What was she talking about?

He didn't know exactly how to handle people crying. It always made him feel uneasy. He reached out a hand to offer comfort, but quickly grab her and shoved her behind him as a 10-meter Titan approached. His blades now out of their holders as he set to launch at the beast. It was an abnormal and was moving at a rapid pace towards them. Just before he rushed the creature, Serenity cried out "Stop!" As she moved to stand in front of him.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It actually stopped and stared down at the girl. What was she playing at? He let his guard down too quickly. Of course, she was working with the Titans. He couldn't believe he almost fell for her stories and tears. His temper flared as he reached out to knock the girl down. That was, until he heard her next words.

"Please. Please don't hurt him. Killing him won't bring you satisfaction or cure your pain." She continued to stare at the creature, pleading with it. The creature looked like he was considering her words, but the contemplation behind its eyes soon turned to madness as it reached out for the man behind her.

Levi had no time to think as the girl shoved him to the side, grabbing one of his blades as the Titan picked her up instead. She struggled against its tight grip, trying to break free. It simply looked at the fidgeting girl in its hand before its grip started to tighten. Threatening to crush her.

Levi's eyes widened. The Titan showed no interest in eating her, but it would crush her if he didn't do something. He picked up his one blade that had fallen when she pushed him out of the way. His ODM gear attached to the creature's neck as he swung around. He would have to slice twice as hard since he had been robbed of one blade.

Serenity cried out as she felt her body being squeezed. She focused on her power and pushed back with a wave of energy towards the Titan's hand. It loosened its grip as Serenity fell out, climbing onto its hand as she slashed through the fingers of the other that tried to grab her. She got her footing back and quickly ran up the creature's arm. She grabbed a hold of its hair as she dangled in front of its face.

"You don't have to do this." She cried out. Desperate to try and reach to whoever was trapped inside. She was convinced these things were once human. Could she heal them? "He is human. You were too, weren't you? Please, don't do this. Don't kill more innocents." She continued to beg. The Titan hesitated for a moment, but there was nothing shaking the madness inside. It let out a feral cry as its mouth tried to bite at her, but before it could reach her, it stopped. Steam rose from its back, and the Titan crumbled.

Serenity lost her footing and screamed as she started falling to the ground. The Titan no longer there for her to stand on. Her body tensed as it prepared for the impact, but it never came. Instead she was being held closely by the man as he maneuvered his way down to the ground. Once her feet hit the solid earth, the Captain's eyes fell on her. Filled with rage.

"What the hell was that?!" He screamed at her. "You could have gotten us both killed! What are you playing at? You think you can communicate with those things? You think we haven't tried precisely that?! You foolish brat!" His breathing was heavy after his rant.

Serenity just stared at him. Her eyes wavering at how close she had come to getting another human killed. She would have been fine, but he would not have. She let out a deep sigh, acutely aware of the trouble she had caused.

"I'm sorry Levi..."

"That is Captain Ackerman!" He shot back at her. "Why did the Titan stop when you initially spoke to it? What are you hiding? Are you in an alliance with them?" The questions fell from his mouth before he even had an opportunity to filter them through his mind.

"I don't know why it stopped." She answered truthfully. "On my way here, they didn't really interact with me. They looked at me. One even got on its knees to examine me, but none ever attacked. I could see the pain in their eyes. I just thought that maybe if I could try and talk sense into them, then the struggle would stop and both lives could be saved."

"Well you thought wrong!" Levi bit back. His rage still spilling over.

"I was trying to save you!" She yelled back.

"I don't need saving!" Levi's breaths coming out ragged as he contemplated her words. "I am a trained soldier who has fought against many of these demons. You got in the way, charging into death without a clue as to what you were doing."

At this point Serenity's own anger was starting to bubble. Ungrateful prick. She thought. Yes, she made a mistake, but how could wanting to stop the fighting be a bad thing? Or wanting to save someone? What if it had worked? It could have been another way of stopping more from dying, while taking a step closer to figuring out whether these things could be helped.

"Look, Captain," she said through gritted teeth. "I screwed up, I admit it, but you also have to admit that whatever you all are doing isn't working! If it was, the Earth's population wouldn't have gone from seven billion to just one million. There must be another way. Something you are overlooking. A way to help. A soldier's duty isn't just to follow orders, or to kill, but also to defend, protect, and help!" Her eyes held such flame now as the two stared each other down.

It took Levi a moment to process what she said before he blinked in confusion. "What do you mean seven billion?" He asked before thinking.

Did he really not know how large the population was? How much time had really passed? Was the Earth of old completely forgotten? "What year is it?" She asked him.

"850." He said.

Serenity's eyes bugged out of her head. That didn't make any sense! 850? It was 2020 when she left Earth. Sure, she didn't pay much attention in history class, but she was pretty sure that the year 850 didn't have Titans wandering around. Not to mention it didn't have advanced military gear. What was going on? She hadn't gone back in time, so why is the year 850? Had time really restarted? She shook her head as the thoughts overwhelmed her. She sat down on the ground as she grabbed her face. She couldn't understand what was happening.

"None of this makes sense." She whispered out.

"You're telling me, but the fact remains that you are an unknown. I cannot let you go, and I cannot allow you to roam freely on your own accord. I'll have to take you into custody until we can figure who or what you are." Levi stated formally. His stance hardened as he gazed at the lost girl. Whatever she was, she wasn't normal. He saw how the Titan hesitated. He saw how she managed to slice off the Titan's fingers, how she ran up the beast's arm. She never faltered, never once flinched. She was sure of her movements, as if she was a soldier herself.

Serenity sighed at his words. Of course, this would happen, and what other option did she have other than to play along? She couldn't leave Earth now knowing what she knew. She also couldn't reveal too much of herself to these people. It would only drum up more chaos and confusion. Her sad story was now a forgotten part of history, and that is where it needed to stay.

"What about that person? Eren? I heard voices calling out to him as the Titan ran away. I can help. It looked like they were headed towards the forest I passed on the way here." Serenity said, hoping not to be thrown into a jail cell.

Levi looked out towards the direction she was talking about. They needed to go after them, but the fact remained that they also needed reinforcements. Getting the horses over the wall would be another challenge. That would take time, and they were not certain how far they would get or if they would stop to rest. They didn't even know where they were going, but at least they could trace the Armored Titan's footprints.

"We are not prepared to go after them, and after that stunt you just pulled, I absolutely will not consider you coming along. You are not a Scout. You don't have the gear or the training to take these things down." He argued.

Serenity scoffed at him. "Looks can be deceiving, Captain."

Levi raised an eyebrow at her statement but said nothing further. He reached out and grabbed hold of her hand to yank her up. She flinched as soon as he did.

"Ah, sorry." She said as she yanked her hand back. "Cut myself trying to swing that damn blade. It is incredibly light, not like anything I'm used to."

Levi looked down at the cut that appeared on the palm of her hand. It was bleeding but looked like it was nothing too deep. He rolled his eyes as he ripped off a portion of his cape. He took her hand gently and wrapped the cloth around her hand, tightening it to stop the bleeding. He scowled at the blood now on his hand, but he supposed he could wash it off soon enough.

At least she didn't shift after being cut. Levi thought. Maybe she isn't a Titan after all, but she is definitely hiding something. We can't be too cautious. He heard her last statement about the blade not being what she's used to. She was a fighter of some sorts. Of that he was certain.

"Are you going to cooperate, or shall I restrain you before taking you up the wall?" He questioned.

"I promise I won't cause any more trouble today. I'll come quietly." Serenity said defeated. She would have to figure out a way to get him, and his team, to trust her.

"Only today?" Levi questioned her with a smirk. Her face blushed at his expression.

Without warning, Levi picked her up gently. His arms cradling her knees and back. Serenity's face was now on fire as she latched onto his neck to keep from falling. She was about to protest, but before words could leave her mouth, Levi whispered "hold on" into her ear before beginning his ascent towards the top of the wall.

And there you have it! Kind of a longish chapter, but I had a lot of fun writing it. Next up will be Serenity finally meeting some more members of the Scouts. How will they handle the strange woman cradled in the Captain's Arms? Stay tuned, and don't forget to review, favorite, follow, share, etc.!

-Lizzy