I apologise that the story has taken a while to take off, but it was necessary, hope you enjoy the further chapters! : )
Chapter 5: Preparations
The 104th cadets were gathered inside the dining hall having some evening tea before retiring to their dormitories for the night. It had been yet another extremely long and strenuous day of training. Sasha was so tired she was barely managing to nibble her piece of bread as her head lay rested on the table. Connie's elbow rested on the side of his temple as his arm supported his head from also falling onto the table. Jean was barely managing to sip his tea without his eyes closing on their own. Armin was peacefully reading a book, his feet laying on the bench, his back supported by that of Eren who was facing the opposite way, stretching his legs out and examining new bruises that appeared. Mikasa, was kneeling down beside Eren, helping him check his wounds, and giving each one a full assessment. Krista and Ymir were already back in their room much to Krista's dismay, times like these, when the troops were recuperating, were her favourite, however Ymir had other plans for the two of them.
The doors to the dining room flew open, but none of them had the energy to see who it was. Hanji and Levi stood there; shocked at the state of the cadets.
"Brilliant, we've got to prepare them for death, yet they've already died. Pathetic."
Levi grimaced at the sight of the helpless cadets; however, a small twinge of pain shuddered his heart, he couldn't help but feel guilty for what they were all about to witness.
"Levi, try to be gentle, if at all possible, they seem at breaking point and we're meant to boost morale, remember!"
Hanji whispered to him before giving a little thumbs up, which he frowned at, he knew what he was doing for fucks sake, he was a Captain.
"Brats, we need to speak to you."
It took much longer than usual for the cadets to respond to the deep, intimidating voice they all feared so much. It was Eren who reacted first, practically falling off the bench in response, much to Mikasa's dismay.
"Eren, be careful, your injuries!"
Letting out an annoyed sigh, Mikasa met Levi's gaze, the two simply acknowledged the others presence mutually, before Levi turned his stare to the other cadets, who were equally as terrified at the sight of him. The overprotective display of care Mikasa had presented in front of him annoyed him more than necessary.
"Right, now that you're all awake. I have orders from Commander Erwin. There will be an expedition scheduled for a week today, supplies and materials have already been gathered, you will participate in this quest as your first mission for the Survey Corps, and that is an order."
Levi directed the last part to Mikasa, individually, before she could start making excuses as to why Eren couldn't come.
"A real expedition Captain?"
Armin was the one to respond, which was unusual for him, however the colour had already drained from his face.
"You heard me correctly, Arlert, you have all showed good progress with your training and the Commander believes you are ready for the task."
Their faces grew even more fear stricken as the information sunk in.
"Where are Ymir and Krista?"
It was Hanji who asked cheerfully from beside the stoic Captain.
"In their room."
Sasha barely groaned from the end of the table, still nibbling on her piece of bread, however her hand was shaking as she did so.
"Levi, I'll go and inform them myself, you stay with these guys."
Levi simply nodded and turned his attention back to the terrified faces in front of him. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt rush through him as he knew not all of them would return to this table. But that was the life of a soldier and they had all chosen this path.
"The details are as follows, we will leave at first light, a week today, we will ride as a unit to Wall Rose and Trost district, where we will pass through into the titan territory. From there the formation will take place, which you will be taught in the next few days, and regular expedition protocol will be followed, however, the sole purpose of this mission is to survey the titan quantities that remain within the vicinity of Wall Maria."
Silence echoed around the dining hall, it was eerily quiet, even to Levi who enjoyed nothing more than peaceful silence.
"We understand, thank you sir."
Eren looked Levi directly in the eyes. This was what angered him the most, this kid thought he was the saviour of all soldiers, the next hero, and that was exactly what was going to get him killed. His passion for killing titans was second-to-none and that was admirable, but the complete lack of sense made Levi's head hurt. However, despite all of that he couldn't care less if the kid met his likely end what he did care about was the reality that, this wouldn't happen without Mikasa's life also being taken, and that would be a loss. A great loss indeed.
"Good, prepare yourselves. This is unlike anything you will have experienced, titans in their natural habitat is not something to take lightly. For those of you who have been unlucky enough to witness what I am talking about, I suggest you prepare your comrades accordingly. Get to bed early. You all need to rest."
Everyone suddenly turned to look at Mikasa, Eren and Armin, the only three people to have witnessed the destruction of the titans amongst them. It wasn't a topic they spoke about openly.
It was the night before the expedition and the cadets had slowly realised the fate that was in store for them; training had turned to battle strategies and focusing purely on survival instincts. Armin had lit up at the chance to be in a classroom learning from a blackboard and had memorised every tactic, even impressing his leaders with his, now, advanced knowledge of military techniques.
"Ackerman, a word."
Mikasa was on her way to her own room after leaving Eren and Armin in the dining room when she heard a low voice beckon her from the adjacent corridor. Cautiously, she followed the voice to find Captain Levi leaning against the wall, boots clicking against the cold stone floor.
"Yes, sir?"
Their formalities of superior and subordinate had become like second nature now and the two managed to converse freely with limited risk of arguments or conflict, much to Levi's pleasure but also disappointment, he did rather like her spunky side.
"Tomorrow is expedition day."
"Yes, I am aware, I was just heading to my room to get an early night."
Levi looked down at the girl, he'd grown to like her over the past few months, nothing out of the ordinary but he appreciated her similarities to him. There was never anything extra with her, what you saw, was what you got, she was to the point and precise, exactly like he was. She never over-spoke or overshared, never let emotions get in her way, apart from if Yeager was on the scene, but thankfully during their training he was not. It was obvious her skill and technique had improved dramatically, and he wasn't concerned about her ability to fight the titans in anyway, it was just that troublesome Yeager. If he got himself in a tricky position, she would swoop in without thinking, and she didn't yet have enough experience to assess situations well.
"I know what you're going to do tomorrow."
Levi accusingly looked down upon her, his eyes black.
"And what is that, sir?"
Mikasa matched his deathly glare with her own unique version.
"You're going to do whatever it takes to ensure Yeager is alive and well, shoving his face with bread rolls, tomorrow evening."
Mikasa didn't see the point in his angered tone, so what if she was? Why did it bother him, she was still going for the sake of the country wasn't she, doing her part?
"And so, what if I am? Do you want him to die?"
Levi felt a familiar warmth flood through him at her challenging tone, he had somewhat missed their arguments, oddly.
"You'll be the one to be killed. You are not experienced in high intensity situations; you've never actually had to fight for your life before."
Levi regretted the words as soon as he spoke them, as of course she had, and that was why she was so damn loyal to Yeager.
"Oh, have I not? Maybe go and read my file some more or talk to the Commander, I'm sure you'll find everything you're looking for there, just like you did last time."
Levi could feel the hurt in her voice, he didn't mean for it to sound the way it had or make it seem as if he were belittling her, all he could do was simply accept the words she threw at him, he deserved it.
"Look, Ackerman, I am not here to challenge you, I'm here to warn you, I want you to take precaution out there tomorrow, you may be the most skilled out of your comrades and a heck of a lot of other soldiers as well, but as I said you lack experience. Do not let yourself be killed in a foolish way."
Mikasa, took a few moments to comprehend what he was saying, her cheeks slowly began to colour pink, as she realised he was being caring towards her, worrying about her life, and asking her not to die.
"Can't live without me then?"
The click of her tongue sent shivers down Levi's spine; how did she have such an effect on him? This had never happened before with a girl of her age, for good reason, it was forbidden, but he couldn't shake an unwelcome feeling of desire whenever he looked into those deep, dark eyes. It was too easy to get lost within them, exploring the various levels of pain and hurt. Much like his own.
The comment had caught him off guard and for once in his life he was unsure of what to do, he should reprimand her for speaking so freely to her superior, but he'd liked it, enjoyed the spunkiness and deep down, he knew she was right. He didn't want to return tomorrow unless she was there as well, he wanted more of their training sessions, slowly uncovering a layer of her at a time. What was he thinking, he was Captain Levi? Renowned for having no emotions, especially ones about silly little teenage girls.
"Don't be absurd Ackerman, I am obliged to protect all of my soldiers, you are a part of my squad, are you not? Placing you under my protection."
Mikasa, stiffened slightly at his response and dropped her gaze. Was she disappointed by the answer?
"Okay, well, thank you sir, I will see you tomorrow, ready for action."
Swiftly, and with no final glance, she returned to her previous walk back to her room. Levi, stood, quietly for a few extra moments, reeling in the conversation they had just had. It was obvious he was caring for her too much, he knew that, it had happened gradually over the past few months, at first, he admired her skill from a soldier's point of view, but now it was different. He had begun to notice different things about her, the way her raven hair fell, just touching her collar and brushing against that stupid scarf of hers. The way her lips formed a hard line whenever she was determined or disappointed with herself. The way her eyes lit up as she flew through the air using her OMD gear. Even, the way the back of her neck froze slightly every time he called to her when she wasn't expecting it. He hated himself for watching her this way, for admiring her obvious beauty as if he, too, were some teenage boy with a silly crush. There was no way for him not to notice it, it had grown into habit, she was no longer just his subordinate and he so desperately wished for nothing more than her safe return tomorrow evening.