Unfriendlies

Uma's POV

I wasn't in the mood for this today, I'm sure even Levi could see that. Still, I was out here on his orders regardless, about to fight fake titans in the goddamn woods. If I had told him my reasoning for wanting to be alone, he probably would have listened, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe I was afraid I'd look weak in front of him- I hated being pitted. Regardless, I was here, so I had to at least put up a semi-convincing front.

After we had launched into the trees, it wasn't long before we came upon our first target. Levi jetted downwards, leaving me to try and figure out what he was going to do before reaching the wooden Titan ahead of us. I suppose he wasn't joking when he said improvise. I was actually going to have to take this seriously; otherwise, this exercise was going to turn dangerous very quickly. Shit, I thought, he actually trusted me to do this?

Watching him closely, I tried to predict what he was going to do next. Reaching the ground, he flew beneath the Titan, heading for the tree opposite him. Suddenly realizing what he was going to do, I curled up into a tight ball and rocketed across the target's striking point with amazing speed. At the same time, Levi had kicked off the tree in front of him, using a burst of gas to propel him as he flipped backwards through the air, cutting through the target from the opposite side as me. We practically obliterated the pad with our blades as we cut through it at the same time. If this were a real Titan, there would be practically nothing left of its neck. Straightening out my body, I kicked off the nearest tree and followed Levi deeper into the woods.

Spotting our next target, he ordered me to go left while he stayed on course to attack from the right. I obediently sped off and, as we moved into position, we attacked from opposite sides once more. I cut across the upper half of the neck while Levi took care of the lower half, creating a single perfect strike. To my amazement, his plan actually seemed to be working.

Leaving the destroyed target behind, we shot through the trees alongside one another, deftly avoiding branches in our wake. I felt something spark inside me as I glanced over at Levi and caught him staring back at me. Quickly tearing our gazes away from one another, we noticed we were heading straight for a tree trunk. My heart griped in my chest for a quick moment as we both rolled out of the way of the obstacle. Realizing we were both fine, I couldn't help laughing at the sudden rush it gave me. Levi rolled his eyes, probably thinking I was ridiculous, but I could have sworn I saw the slightest bit of a smirk on his face.

It wasn't long before our third target came up. It was set on casters so it would move around, making it more lifelike. Building off of my adrenaline from earlier, I decided to take the lead.

"I'm breaking off," I warned him as I cut the gas to my gear and dropped down through the branches. Just before I touched the ground I gave one side of my gear a bit of gas, causing me to swing around the legs of the wooden Titan, my line tightening around the limbs. The moving target screeched to a stop, presenting an easy mark, which Levi sliced through. Not wanting to hold on too long I cut the line as I headed upwards, rejoining Levi once more.

We continued on in this way for the rest of the course, testing out new techniques and pulling ridiculously dangerous stunts the military would never allow us to implement in training. If I was being honest, I was more in synch with Levi than anyone I'd ever trained with. Given our slightly volatile personalities, I never would have thought we'd be able to work this well as a team. I guess he had seen the potential that I didn't. It led me to believe that maybe he gave me more consideration than he let on.

TITANTITANTITANTITANTITAN

In the evening, I decided it would be nice to take a bath. Our accommodations were quite shitty, however it was nice to be able to have the baths to myself for once. The women's bathhouse was a medium sized wood and tiled room that had three stations for bathing and a set of cubbies on the opposite wall to store your things. It wasn't much, but after a long day, even this dilapidated facility seemed like a heaven.

I must have soaked for about half an hour before I decided I had indulged myself enough. The water was beginning to get cold anyway. Stepping out of the bath, I wrapped myself up in a large towel and sat on the chipped tile bench beside the shallow pool. It was hard putting up a front with Levi today, though I enjoyed it in the end. But now that I was alone, there was nothing to distract me from my thoughts. Every year, when this day rolled around, I was never prepared for it. I guess I should have felt grateful that it was almost over. If Levi hadn't of forced me to train with him today, I doubted things would have gone so smoothly.

Breathing in the hot steam, I took up the towel lying next to me and dried my hair and face off. I rubbed my tired eyes as I stood up from the bench. Grabbing my bucket with my soap and scrub brush I went to my cubby and changed into a sleeveless button up top and loose pants. I usually wouldn't be caught dead in something so casual, especially since it showed the scar on my chest, but I figured I was safe this late at night. My room was right around the corner from the baths, anyway.

Slipping out of the door, I was hit by the unwelcoming cold air in the hall.

"Shit," I muttered to myself, a sharp chill running up my spine as I quickly padded towards my room with my wet towels in hand. As I turned the corner, I spotted a medium-height man with dark brown hair walking out of the records room and down the corridor. I figured he was a soldier who must have returned from leave a few days early.

"Can I help you?" I asked, hoping he'd say no.

The young man visibly stiffened then, his back still facing me. Suddenly, I felt a nervous twinge in my heart, which acted as an all too familiar warning signal. Why wasn't he turning around, my inner voice nagged at me. Actually, nothing was right about this- from the way he was acting to the fact that he had just been in the records room. All of this hit me in a matter of seconds as I waited for the stranger to answer.

"Hello?" I questioned, my voice wavering as I felt myself getting lower and lower in my body.

"Sorry," the man replied casually, bringing his arms to his chest. "Actually, yes, you can help me..."

I saw it happening even before he whipped around and open fired on me. My body acted before I even had time to think, sending me leaping against the hard wall and desperately scrambling into my room.

There wasn't even time to check and see if I was shot. I raced towards my dresser and yanked open the top drawer, fishing out my standard issued pistol, I ran back to the doorway. Pressing my back against the wall, I took a quick, steadying breath before turning out into the hall and taking aim. However, the assailant was already retreating back into the records room.

Sprinting down the hall, my gun at the ready, I chased after him. My heart pounded against my ribs, but I did not feel an ounce of fatigue as I cleared the next doorway and entered the room. The records hall was laid out much like a library with tall shelves and filing cabinets lining the walls and tables and chairs in the center of the room. Everything was made out of old, sturdy oak that muffled every sound, making it near impossible to hear where this bastard was hiding.

A thin sheen of sweat began to form on my brow as I placed my finger on the trigger. Straining my hearing, I pressed myself close to the nearest filing cabinet and tried to pick up any noises within the room.

Just then, I heard someone running down the hallway and soon I saw worried and disgruntled Levi appear in the doorway, gun in hand.

"The fuck's the matter?" he rudely demanded, his sharp eyes focused on me.

"There's someone here- they shot at me," I told him.

Levi's eyes narrowed as he quietly slipped into the room and joined me by the filing cabinet. It seemed as though we might just end the evening in a shootout.

AN: REVIEW, FAVOR, FOLLOW! Sorry for the sorta-cliffhanger, but I'm switching to Levi's POV for the next chapter. I'm so happy I finally got this story up and moving again. I enjoy writing the softer, slower moments, but I missed the excitement. I hope you all are intrigued!