Chapter 8: In The Night

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You all are my favs. I love the reviews.

I'm not shocked to hear that blue eyes tend to be a bit more popular for Kagome because of their descriptive advantage especially in writing lol

I'm also happy to hear I'm not the only one who prefers Levi's Japanese voice acting. There's actually a video on youtube that compares the voices if you just search Levi sub vs dub for anyone interested!

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For info regarding Kagome's abilities, I'm definitely going to come back to that ;)

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Hope you're all ready for the next chapter!

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"Am I early? I guess I couldn't help myself!" Hange laughed almost maniacally as her gaze fell upon Eren, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Ah! Eren Jaeger. If you haven't heard, I'm the one in charge of all Titan research, currently with two Titans we caught in Trost. And I came by today to get permission to use your assistance tomorrow."

"Titan research?" Eren questioned, cocking a brow as she approached him.

"Yes! The experiments. It's the most exciting thing ever!" Her face blushed over as she crazily eyed the boy, the Section Commander clearly over eager about whatever she was planning. Kagome just curiously listened in.

He blinked at the older woman, "Oh, well... I can't grant you permission myself. Any decisions have to be made by Captain Levi on my behalf."

"Oi, Levi!" Hange looked over at the captain, her hands now on her hips, "What's Eren's plans for tomorrow?"

"Cleaning the garden." Levi huffed.

"Alright! It's settled! I can't wait for tomorrow!" She leaned in close to Eren, breathing heavily with a crooked smile on her face. She looked like she was in the process of going completely mad, but by the rest of the Levi Squads' casual and unsurprised expressions, Kagome just assumed this was on of Hange's little quirks. And clearly, it was a quirk that the rest of the group found rather annoying, given the looks of absolute boredom that marred their faces just by hearing her voice.

"But... Section Commander, what will I be doing?" The brunette boy asked.

"Hm?" Her eyes widened at his question.

"I just mean... What are these experiments?" Now, he was a bit more hesitant, but asked anyways despite the clear signs of uncomfortability that now washed over his features.

"C'mon kid, don't ask that..." Oluo mumbled under his breath as he leaned his head on his hand. His mouth had already formed into a deep frown as he eyed the conversation from his seat.

But it was too late for Eren to take it back. Hange's face had blushed over again with excitement as she eyed him like he was a slab of meat or, in her case, a laboratory specimen to dissect. Kagome had even swore she saw some drool build up on the corner of her lips like the topic of experiments was as alluring to her as humans were to Titans. It was as childlike as it was utterly creepy, and yet, Kagome couldn't help but curiously watch, wanting to hear what exactly about these experiments was so amazing.

"Ah... I knew it. I could see the interest spark in your eyes..." The section commander heaved.

The former priestess saw Levi quietly get up from his seat, followed by the rest of the Levi Squad, small sighs exiting their mouths as they did.

"Psst, Kagome." Petra whispers as she stood from her chair, "If you know what's good for you, you should follow us."

But Kagome saw the look of alarm on Eren's face as he watched everyone else abandon him to whatever psychotic antics she had rolling around in her head. She had even started laughing maniacally once more and Kagome wondered if this was really a woman allowed to lead her own squad in the Scout Regiment, as she didn't seem in the least bit stable.

"I'll be fine." Kagome reassured, "Besides, I can't leave him like this." Petra nodded in understanding, then quickly scurried out with the rest of them.

"Huh? You want to know, too, Kagome Higurashi?" Hange noted as she realized the woman had yet to run out like the rest of them, "Ah, well if you both are that curious, I suppose I have no choice but to tell you about the little critters we're keeping, two Titans from Trost. We have them captive and we've been testing all different theories. First, we try communicating, but that was a bust. But it was fulfilling enough to erase my fatigue, so I continued to get to know them, even when they took a few bites at me." She continued to ramble on about her days with the Titans so far, talking about them as though they weren't the enemies of humanity and instead some pets she picked up from a shelter.

It wasn't until she discussed how she named them that Kagome found something very interesting.

"I held a naming ceremony, where I described a clan of cannibals that lived long ago in some unknown lands. They hid in the mountainside and lured their victims in, stewing up their insides and making steaks from their buttocks." Hange casually explained, though, Eren's green eyes dulled at the thought of such horrors, "Just by one mistake, they were caught and executed for crimes just like the Titans. I thought it only fair to name them after the supposed leader of the clan."

"Sawney Bean." Kagome choked out wordlessly, realizing that it was story she remembered hearing about back in her original time period. She knew the clan had reportedly been caught in Scotland in the 16th century, and they were very famous as they were accused of devouring over a thousand people during their active days. Well, I definitely don't need any more proof that this is some dystopian time period. Within the walls, they consider it to be the year 850. I wonder how long after my era do Titans first appear...

"Ah! Yes, Kagome! I named the Titans Sawney and Bean!" The section commander excitedly clapped her hands together, "Aha! What a clever girl!" Hange continued to speak about all of the experiments she had already done on the two Titans, from shielding them from light to testing their pain tolerance. She rambled about their personalities like they were children, laughing and shouting the whole time like a proud mother of some sort. Of course, Kagome didn't think she would take hours to describe everything. It felt like she was going over every second she had spent with Sawney and Bean in real time, and soon, the former priestess began feeling her lids get heavy, her body involuntarily slouching in her seat. When she looked up, she could see Eren, too, appear dazed. Time was like a weight that only rest could pick off of them, but there didn't appear an end in sight as far as Hange was considered, her face still colored pink with interest.

She's never gonna let us get some sleep at this point... Kagome grumbled inwardly, I can see now why everyone left in a hurry. They were just trying to save themselves from the torture. I mean... It was interesting at first. And I can't say I mind the subject considering I come from an era that was always curious about everything. But... geez not at this time.

The woman yawned, wondering if she could just fall asleep at the table. But then again, Hange's constant erratic volume would surely disturb her. It seemed like she was in a losing battle.

But then, an idea popped into her head, "Hange, I love hearing about every minute you've spent with Sawney and Bean, but, especially if you're curious about Eren's own Titan ability, we may need to give him the proper amount of sleep. Won't we want to set a baseline for any experiments with Eren in peak condition before we manipulate any variables?"

"Manipulate any variables?" Hange scratched her head, but then let out a loud and startling burst of laughter, "Aha! Kagome Higurashi! Your mind is truly adept in the field of research. How did I not think of this? Ha! Eren, I'm sorry, but it looks like we'll all continue in the morning. Your task now is to get some good rest!"

Blinking again in astonishment with his mouth agape, Eren peeked over at Kagome who winked at him, before processing what had just happened. After a moment, a grin quickly took over on his face as he seemed to realize that he was actually free of the incessant chatter, and he quickly stood up, "Yes, of course."

Kagome stood with him, "It was a wonderful talk. I look forward to discussing with you more, Hange. I'll walk Eren to his room."

"Ah, yes Kagome." The brown haired woman nodded, "I think I'd like to spend some time prodding your mind. You seem like a bright, young woman." Kagome only nodded before taking the lead and heading towards the door, sensing that the boy was right at her heel, probably scared that the section commander would come up with something else to say before they made it out. Though, she felt confident they were in the clear.

When they made it out, the door shut behind them, she heard a sigh of relief escape from her friend like he had been holding his breath.

"I seriously owe you one for that. There's only a few hours left until the sun rises." He shook his head, a yawn forcing its way out of his mouth, "You're seriously something else."

"Oh please, if the captain heard you, he'd tell you to stop making my head so big." She chuckled.

"Oh, I forget you've spent more time with Levi than I have. I bet it wasn't a good time after the stunt you pulled in Trost." Eren pondered the ways in which his superior may have gotten Kagome back, though he hadn't heard of any formal punishment taking place.

"He's a jerk. Well, I mean, kind of a jerk. Like he says really mean things, but something about him seems like a big softy." She did her best to explain without going too in depth with her time with him, "But I can't help but want to tease him or mock him and, honestly, there's a bigger chance he's gonna be the death of me over Titans."

The two reached the stairwell that led to the basement and Eren turned to face her, "You should be careful, Kagome. I wouldn't doubt that his punishments are more sadistic than most squad leaders."

"I wouldn't either." She smiled, "But I just can't get myself to fear him as much as everyone else. Maybe I'm just insane." She began leading him down the stairs, torches lighting the way, when his arm outstretched itself to block her path. Startled, she stopped and glanced over at him in confusion.

"Oi, you don't need to walk me down to the basement. You deserve to hurry and get to bed, too. Who knows how long we would've been stuck in there with Hange." His green eyes flashed with appreciation as he looked at her dimly lit face, "I'll see you in the morning if I'm not dragged into experiments. And stay out of trouble with the captain no matter how badly you want to mess with him." He hovered over her for a moment.

"As the princess of the castle, I make absolutely no promises, Eren." Kagome nodded and began walking away, "Fall asleep fast. And, of course, don't let any of those pesky bed bugs bite." She waved him off and went on her way, heading upstairs. Petra had informed her that her room was on the third floor, second to last on the right. The ginger had confessed that everyone had went to claim their rooms already, and they all sought out to get the rooms farthest from Levi to avoid hearing his middle of the night pacings, as well as to better stay out of his way. It had appeared her ranking as a new recruit granted her last pick. And Levi's room was apparently the last on the left.

Still, she found herself unable to care at the time, her body practically begging her to get some sleep. She was sure no amount of pacing would disrupt her at this point, her mind ready to shut completely off as if its batteries were about to run out.

She ambled up the stairs, holding onto the railings for extra support. She felt dramatic, but if she were being honest, her legs had started to feel like jello after climbing the first few steps. Geez... I wonder how Hange managed to have so much energy.

As she made it to the third floor, she began trudging down the long hallway, light snores dancing around from the sleeping member's of the Levi Squad. Everything was shadowed by the night, torches and moonlight providing just enough light for her to see. And with her focus almost completely gone, she almost didn't see the figure that was walking upright towards her.

You've got to be kidding me. She huffed inwardly, cursing herself for having such bad luck. Still, she had to admit she was a bit curious as to why anyone would be voluntarily up at this time. She waved awkwardly, sensing that he was already eyeing her with that cold stare.

"Tch. Get to bed, brat." Was all he said as he stalked passed her.

Someone's grumpy. What's he doing up anyways? She questioned to herself, Apparently he does this, just pacing at night. Such a weird guy...

As they made their way in opposite directions, Kagome found herself turning to take a peek at him once more just as she was about to get to her room. Though, she didn't expect what she saw next.

Levi was entering the room with the secret door.

... Wait. Why is he going in there? It has to be to see the hidden artifact room. She eyed him until he disappeared, Is he suspicious about my story? Oh no. What if he suspects me?

Her breathing sped up, but she quickly entered her room and shut the door. She knew she couldn't follow him. He would just yell at her. And if he did suspect something, it would make her look worse. Her back leaned up against the wall. If Levi somehow managed to figure out Kagome was the priestess, what would happen to her? She pondered if he'd give up to the Military Police. They would probably treat her as bad or worse than they did Eren, dissecting her body and interrogating her time travelling abilities.

Oh no. Oh no. I'm gonna get tortured... She felt her throat run dry, and she contemplated running away in the night and living discreetly somewhere in Wall Sina, perhaps finding a more rural area to make her home. But a calm voice in her head knew better than to panic. I gotta pull myself together. There's no way to prove who I am. I haven't been able to focus any of my spiritual energy since I got to this Era. Besides, the captain doesn't seem like the type to sell out his team. Even if he does suspect something, the best thing to do is remain calm and act normal.

She eyed the little bed that rested in the corner of the plain, drab room. The only other contents was a little desk and chair. The window let in specs of moonlight, and she could see that there was nothing else around. It was a simple bedroom for a soldier.

I need to get some sleep. No worrying, just sleep. Kagome clutched her still quick beating heart and made her way to the bed. She took off her cloak and changed into light sleepwear, which was pretty much a plain shirt and pants that she would still be able to function in if there was a nighttime emergency.

She lied on her side, the pillow not so soft, but still better than nothing. Her eyes began to shut, and she mustered up all of her willpower to stop thinking about what Levi may be doing in that secret room.

What he might be thinking.

Her bottom lip found its way in-between her teeth, and she chewed on it slightly as she somehow, by the grace of God, managed to relax. The weight of her body sunk into the mattress, almost swallowing her. Her messy hair partially covered her face, but she didn't have the energy left to move any of the loose strands. She just fell into sleep, slowly at first and then all at once. She had to trust Levi.

And she had to trust herself.

She almost managed to get in four hours of sleep. Almost. Of course, she always preferred reaching the seven-hour mark. And hey, if anyone let her get to eight or more, she would not be complaining. But this was not one of those days. The loud noise that invaded her bedroom like a criminal stole her from her deep slumber. It might as well have stuffed her into a knapsack and dragged her on the floor back to an imprisoned reality, because that's what it felt like. She groaned, lifting herself into a sitting position.

What was that noise, anyways? If she was being honest with herself, it had sounded like an animal.

She got up from her bed, standing somewhat upright, though her shoulders still drooped forward a bit, and she already knew her eyes were going to be puffy for the rest of the day. But the better part of her knew that, as an official member of the scouts, she had to get up and check out what that was. She just hoped it wasn't some moaning Titan. She quickly grabbed her wings of freedom cloak.

Sunlight filled the castle, and she opened her door to see the rest of the Special Operations Squad filling the hallway. Of course, they all looked more put together than her, probably because they had gone to sleep at a normal time.

"Tch. It's that damn Hange..." Oluo growled darkly, "I'd recognized that shitty yelp even in my sleep."

Wait... That was a person? Kagome winced inwardly, noticing the odd way the squad member was talking, but moreso wondering what the section commander had against her getting a good night's rest. What is she screaming about at this time?

"Oluo... if by any chance, you're trying to imitate Captain, could you stop? You are actually nothing like him." Petra mumbled in response, already making her way down the hall and to the stairway.

"Petra, if you're going to act like my wife, you're going to have to do a little more than nag me." He continued to speak in a low and monotone voice, both Eld and Gunther seeming almost unaffected by his antics. But the ginger just looked back with her brows furrowed together in agitation.

"Why don't you just bite you tongue and die?" She stormed down the stairs, sticking her nose up in the air. Oluo just shrugged.

I don't think I ever would have guessed the most elite squad in the military would be this odd... Kagome cocked her brow, but followed Petra down the stairs to find out what on earth Hange could have been screaming about at this time.

When they reached the ground floor, they spotted Hange with a blonde man who looked almost terrified of the woman who was sobbing uncontrollably next to him. When the man spotted the squad coming down the stairs, he quickly approached them, keeping a worried eye on Hange as he did.

"Hello, Levi squad." He tried his best to speak sternly, but his voice shook quite a bit, "In case you didn't hear Hange's little... outburst, you should know that we've had a bit on an incident with the Titans we captured in Trost." He paused as Hange let out another wail, "... It appears they were killed in the middle of the night. We suspect it was a soldier given that the job would necessitate the use of ODM gear. We're heading over now. You all should join us. Captain Levi just went to grab Eren."

"Sawney! Bean!" Hange cried out, "I have to see them before their bodies dissolve into nothing!"

Everyone looked at each other, but all nodded in agreement, heading outside to grab their horses and ride to the scene of the crime. It was turning out to be an... interesting morning.

I honestly have always loved Hange and her eccentric nature since she first made her appearance. And I'm starting to enjoy a possible Kagome/Hange friendship. It would make sense since Kagome would have most likely picked up her grades in highschool and taken advance classes, so she would have been introduced to basics of research and theory since all of that is very prominent in modern academia. Kagome would no doubt have the capacity to be one of the smartest here. Which would attract Hange.

Also, I obviously love Kagome/Eren platonic relationship.

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Also, I was thinking of doing some Kag/Levi drabbles. So, you may see some that may or may not be related to this fic.

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Ugh this chapter was so boring to write. I was gonna add some Kag/Levi arguing for fun, but it ended up feeling out of place. Since I'm on the subject of platonic relationships, anyone wanna tell me who they'd ship in a platonic way between AOT and Inuyasha.

My most random friendship pairing would have to be either Armin/Sango or Levi/Miroku.
Sango and Armin would brainstorm together all the time, and Sango would sympathize with Armin's compassionate and introverted nature.

Miroku would be wise enough to gain some respect from Levi, and bold enough to not be intimidated. They would often share talks, though Miroku would try to get Levi to pick up women with him, which Levi would refuse and get annoyed by.

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If you want me to keep going, write a quick review. They are my favoritessssss!