My apologies for the late updates. I no longer have a break at work as my hours have been cut, so I've not had my regular 2 hours a day for writing. That said, I hope you like this chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter 11
Levi stared into the mouth of the dead Titan. A boot was stuck in between its teeth. He narrowed his eyes. That did it then, they were close enough to the farm that the titans were picking them off. Why were they so persistent? It had been months and the military police had tried to kill them easily on multiple occasions. Until the last few weeks, many things around the farm had gone wrong. The chickens had all been slain in the night. The alarm was cut dozens of times. Levi had to lug a heavily pregnant Rui down to the river with each water trip because he couldn't stand the idea of her getting hurt while he was away.
Things just kept going wrong and now that the weather had turned blistering cold, taking her anywhere was more than a chore. Recently, the bad happenings had ceased, but that didn't make him feel any better.
She stepped out of the house, her entire body covered in a thick coat and blanket. He smiled, watching her waddle over to him.
"Ready?" He asked. She took a deep breath. She'd been having trouble breathing and moving much. Although she'd gotten somewhat thicker, she was still incredibly small. Her belly was gigantic, so it was extremely difficult for her.
"It's so cold today..." She mumbled, clutching her jacket tighter. Her cheeks were flushed from the wind. He held out his arm for her to take, trying anything he could he help ease her discomfort. She stared at his offered arm for a moment.
"I've killed people, you know. And lots of titans," she said. Levi smiled with amusement.
"Yes, you're very vicious," he said softly, continuing to offer his help. She took his arm, resting her head against his shoulder as they walked to the cart. Once there, she turned to face him and he placed his hands under her arms, hoisting her up. He plopped her gently onto the cart, handing her a rope to hold onto.
"You sure you don't want the horse?" He asked, brushing the back of his knuckles over her cheek. She shook her head.
"No, thank you. She gets too bumpy. This is better," she said, taking another deep breath. He placed his hand over her belly, something he did often without even thinking about it. It was hard today - harder than usual. He smoothed his hand over it, Rui groaning quietly. He smiled, kissing her gently.
"Sorry, I can't help it," he whispered. Perhaps he could help it, but he didn't want to. The belly had been painful lately. She could hardly move, much less roll over in bed or bathe with him. He took every opportunity he had to touch her. She wouldn't be pregnant much longer.
She wouldn't be pregnant much longer.
His kiss deepened as he slid his tongue into her mouth. She gasped, grabbing his shoulders.
"Levi...all of a sudden..." She smiled as he gripped her hair tightly, reaching behind her and feeling up her backside. She yelped into his mouth.
Pretty soon...she would give birth...pretty soon he would be a father and after that there was absolutely no going back. But what did that mean? Would he have to give up this?
He dipped his head down to her chest, pressing his face into her breasts.
Would they be off limits to him? Would he no longer be able to touch her as he pleased?
He tucked his arm under her jacket, the other resting on the cart beside her. He felt her fingers combing absently through his hair.
"What's wrong, Levi?" She asked, her breath coming from her mouth in puffs of steam.
"Nothing..." He mumbled against her chest, "you just looked cold."
She sighed. "I see. Thank you," she said. He pulled away, giving her one more kiss and moved around to the horse. The trip down to the river was unusually quiet. There was a thickness to the air that was tangible; nearly suffocating. Storm clouds were swirling overhead. Levi would have to chop more wood for the stove in case the storm kept them inside for a few days. When they got to the bottom of the hill, Levi hopped off the horse, leading it to the edge for a drink. He took the axe from the cart, lifting it high into the air before swinging down hard to break the ice on the surface of the water. He filled bucket after bucket, trying hard not to sweat. It would be a miserable trip back to the top if he got chills.
"My stomach is starting to hurt pretty bad, Levi...let's head back up. I need to lay down," she requested. Levi stopped gathering water, making his way back to Rui, placing his hand on her belly again. It was very hard.
"Is everything okay? Should I run you a bath when we get home?" He asked nervously. She smiled warmly.
"No, Levi, that's alright, I'm just tired and my belly is cramping a bit. I think this is that false labor Hange told us about," she said. She leaned her head down, sucking in a deep breath.
What the hell was the difference between false labor and real labor? It began to dawn on him that they were completely alone. Zoe was to be staying with them for the next couple weeks. She was supposed to help Rui through labor...but what if it happened early? What if Levi was forced to help her? He didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground when it came to childbirth.
As they made their way back up the hill, Levi's eyes were cast down, deep in thought. The rickety wagon wheels were almost hypnotizing.
"What's that smell?" He heard Rui call out from the back. Levi hadn't noticed a strange smell. Though that had been a particularly interesting thing about Rui's pregnancy. Enhanced sense of smell. So bizarre.
He looked to the sky where a dark, ominous cloud hung atop the farmhouse, darker than the storm clouds. However, it had not come from the sky...but the ground.
"Shit..." He whispered. He grabbed the horse's reins, cutting them from the wagon. He ran back around to Rui and pulled her off the back.
"What's wrong?" She asked in fear. He helped her up onto the horse, getting onto its back as well.
He held on tightly to her as they rode fast up the hill, the smell getting stronger and stronger. Rui gripped his hand tightly.
"Levi..." Her voice choked out. The horse's hooves pounded into the cold ground as they ran, the wind freezing their faces. When they reached the top, Rui stared at the spectacle before her.
Levi stared as well, feeling an unexplainable sadness gripping his heart. He knew Rui was feeling it too.
They could do nothing but watch as every beam, stair and tile from the home she grew up in and had wanted to raise their child in went up on flames.
"H...how?" She wept. Hot tears streamed down Rui's face. Levi looked around. They were in danger. Grabbing onto Rui again, he quickly turned the horse around, dashing for the wagon where he'd left an emergency set of gear. He hoped desperately that it was still there. They would need it to travel. They needed to get back to the wall.
The wagon appeared at the hill and Levi practically jumped off, skidding over to grab his gear and strap it on.
Rui's knuckles were white on the reins as he quickly put on the gear. She blinked as a tiny white speck drifted into her vision. As she looked around, more white specks began falling slowly from the sky.
"Snow..." She breathed. Levi finally finished strapping up when they heard ODM gear being used within the trees.
"Stay on the horse. Run if I tell you to," he said firmly. Rui nodded as several members of the Military Police came into view.
"Levi Ackerman, you are hereby under arrest for the murder of General Walker and many other officers. Rui Stone, you are under arrest for resisting arrest for the murder of officers, harboring a fugitive, breaking parole -"
Levi spat on the ground. "Now you're just being dickheads. Murder first, then breaking parole? We'll both be executed, what the hell is the point in all this?" He asked loudly. One of the officers landed before him boldly.
"It's formality, Mr. Ackerman. And while I must say you've given us quite a year, the importance of your arrest is high. We cannot allow you to continue to live and procreate, making more terrifying monsters like yourself. Turn yourselves in and there won't be any torture involved. Resist, and you'll wish you'd never met me."
Levi unshiethed his blades, turning them around threateningly.
"Rui, run," he said. Without a moment to think, Rui obeyed, kicking the horse into high gear and sprinting as quickly away as possible.
"Go after her and you'll be the first to die," he said darkly. The officer chuckled.
"She won't last an hour out there by herself with no gear. She can hardly walk and this storm doesn't look all that promising," he said. Levi looked toward the sky.
"How she dies, Mr. Ackerman is not my concern. Hanged or frozen to death, makes no difference. However, I'm afraid you are another story. We need to be absolutely sure of your death. Do not resist. As I said, it will be quick and painless. We have several traps set up for you all around the perimeter. Ms. Stone may find herself in one of them as well. There is no point to fight. You'll only cause yourself more pain," he said. Levi looked at each of the officers. Soft handed, underworked, piss pants, every one.
"Fine. Come get me," he said darkly. The officer smiled.
"You think I'm am idiot?" He asked. Levi raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty confidently," he replied. The MP's got closer, gathering and closing in on him.
"Remove your gear. Throw it over to the side. I want you unarmed," he said. Levi smiled.
"No. It's clear none of you have any idea what you're doing. Now I see why I keep finding bits of you in the mouths of titans. Do any of you actually remember your basic training?"
"What are you talking about?" The officer asked, seeming to be losing his cool.
"You're so focused on me, you forgot where you were. Large gatherings of people is decidedly less than ideal in Titan country," Levi said. Just as he spoke, they all looked around them, discovering the titans within the trees that that hadn't even known were there. One mouth opened wide, snapping one man in half. The rest of the officers panicked, flying about wildly on their gear in an attempt to fight the monsters. Levi shot himself up into a tree. He watched a few MP's hide up as well. He took his blades and sailed through the branches, slicing through each of them. They dropped from their hiding spots, some into the mouths of titans.