...Chapter Two: Fan The Flames...
I would not, could not, let this man rattle me. I had too much to atone for to be sub par. I kept my expression carefully blank as I looked him up and down, trying to get a feel for what he'd use to attack with. He was built like Annie, compactly muscled, lean; this most likely meant I had to watch his legs. "As you wish, sir. Pick the teams as you see fit."
"Firstly," the Captain began in that stupidly attractive voice of his. No, do not think attractive! Gravely, there we go. "A demonstration of the technique you will be using, please."
So, he could play the 'I don't like you, but I'll keep up appearances' game as well? Well done, ya short bastard. At least my height was considered cute, what about yours? "Right. Cadet Annie Leonhart, Lieutenant Dmitri Yenin, if you would assist me?" Both nodded, stepping forward while the other Military Police moved back, giving us plenty of room to spar. "To begin, you will be in groups of three. Both to learn to work with another to take down a single target, and to learn how to fight multiple opponents at once." My gaze shifted over the gathered lower ranking officers, most of which were trying to keep their stances, but some, like Eren, were leaning around taller members to see what was going on.
The Commander saw this as well and his lips twitched in the barest hint of a smile. "At ease, men. Take a seat until the demonstration is complete." Quick to follow an order, the group found the most comfortable patches of grass they could and sat. The corner of my lips quirked up in a smirk at the relieved sighs some emitted and rolled my neck before pulling off my cloak, handing it to Lauri with a small smile, then tugging off my gloves and shoving them in into my jacket pockets.
"Alright, then. Cadet Leonhart, we'll be going for Lieutenant Yenin." The blonde nodded, expression remaining grim but now with a clear purpose, and began to circle her superior. I followed, keeping a distance between myself and her. Dmitri's gaze flicked back and forth from the two of us, stiffening when we stopped for a second then charged forward at a silent signal. We both kicked with our left legs, aiming for his knees, but he jumped over us with ease and rolled a few feet away. My shin connected with Annie's, making me grimace from the jarring pain. Damn, the girl was strong. The fact that she didn't flinch or hiss in pain seemed just off to me.
We lowered our legs, both hopping back to face our opponent. Dimitri crouched for another moment, then rushed up and punched out at me. He misjudged it by a fraction of an inch, and it brushed my cheek instead of hitting my jaw as I leaned to the side. Using his temporary unbalance and the fact he faced away from her, Annie used the tip of her boot to kick the back of his knee, and his right leg dropped from under him as he landed on his left knee.
I saw his grimace, and tried to return the favor he had dealt, aiming a right hook for his cheekbone. He ducked under it, again rolling away then jumping to his feet and facing the two of us. Annie hopped back a few feet, her fists up by her face. She was maybe two inches shorter, and her punches weren't nearly as strong as her kicks, so I'd have to get him down lower for her to take him out.
Probably not wanting to face another of said kicks from the Cadet, Dmitri picked the lesser of the two evils and rushed me, his own fists held closer to his collarbones. I curled my fingers and thumbs in tight, keeping my palms open. When he was close enough, I moved forward as well, catching him off guard. While he was trying to backtrack, I hit out at his nose, and if I had used any more pressure I would have sent the cartilage into his brain. Instead he got one hell of a bloody nose, and one wrist came up to stop the flow. As he hesitated again, I moved about a foot behind him before sending a roundhouse kick to his knees.
Dmitri stumbled forward, straight to the Cadet, who also kicked at him, aiming and landing a solid hit on his chest. I winced as he toppled back, falling on his ass, one hand holding his ribs and the other still to his nose. He panted for another few moments as the Survey Corp remained silent, then fell to the grass with a groan. I smirked and waved Private Aza Boye, the youngest of our squad besides Annie, 5'5" and with light brown hair, forward to tend to him. I glanced to Commander Erwin, my brow raised in silent question.
The slightest hint of a smile graced the Commander's lips, his own brow raising. "I believe this match is over. Any arguments, Captain Jarvi?" Him asking wasn't necessary, and it confused me. Still attempting to catch my breath, I glanced between my commanding officers, my jaw clenching as my gaze met that of Captain Levi. As our eyes held each others, I felt bile rise in my throat and the edges of my sight were tinged with red. From anger or the after effects of being hit one too many times, I didn't know. That said, I couldn't let the prat Levi see my discomfort.
"Sir, no, sir." My sight cleared a tad, and I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I nodded politely as I saluted again, my breathing finally even. Captain Levi quickly paired together two of his own Cadets and other lower ranking officers with a member of the Military Police, leaving myself and Annie without groups.
I waved her over to me, and she complied with the same, blank expression, no light reflected in her pale eyes even in the brightest part of the day. "Go get some water Cadet, both for yourself and the others when they're done."
"Not so fast, Cadet, Lieutenant." Really? Of all times for him to butt in... I mentally growled and slowly, deliberately, turned to face Captain Levi.
"If I may ask, sir. Why are you stopping her?" I could feel the sun beating down on my face, bringing a bead of sweat to my brow and probably lightening my eye color to almost gold.
"All the Cadets are practicing today. Is that clear, Lieutenant?" His tone gave away nothing, but his eyes bore into my very soul, lighting a fire in my gut and making the hairs on the back of my neck rise. From fear or anger, I didn't know nor care.
"Clear as a bell, sir," I pity the poor soul fighting her, though.
"Good. At least you're not a complete moron. Cadet Leonhart, was it?" He turned his steely gaze from me to the younger woman, who nodded silently, shaking one hand to loosen the muscles. "You and I will be a pair for now."
"So who are we fighting, sir?" Even her voice was empty. She was past uncanny, this teen was plain unsettling. She followed his gaze, as did I, until he turned back to me. Fuck it all. I'm deader than Annie's emotions.
Sighing through my nose and rolling my eyes in annoyance, I balled my fists and brought them back up to about chin level, much like Annie. The other two did the same, one on either side of me. Levi stared off with a high punch that would have hit my temple had I not ducked, and at the same time Annie aimed a sweeping kick at my knees. I sidestepped it in the nick of time, catching her ankle and tugging her to the dirt.
She flipped back to her feet with grace, much more than most people her age, and she and the Captain attacked in time again, this time doing the opposite of what they previously had tried. Annie punched out, a little too low, and instead of connecting with my jaw it went past my neck. Easily avoidable.
Captain Levi's kick to my ass wasn't as avoidable, and I hopped on one leg to keep from falling and losing all of my dignity. It was then I noticed Annie falling as her punch missed. She tried to catch herself but her left foot landed wrong with an audible crack, and she went down hard with a landing as brutal as her punch would have been. She was shorter and had less muscle tone, but every hit felt like cannon fire. She sat up a split second later, scooting to the edge of where Levi and I were now fighting solo.
For the first time since the sparring match began, with Cadet Leonhart sitting on the edge of the ring holding her ankle, she had the faintest fire of anger burning in her eyes. There was something I had to look deeper for, something that looked too much like fear. I'd known her as a sociopath for so long, I couldn't help but stare. She hadn't even blinked when Dmitri's rifle misfired two weeks prior, and so many things went and brushed past her normally, right now just seemed to be a complete paradox.
My lack of attention to my other opponent would prove to be my undoing.
Levi saw my distraction as an opportunity to send me flying as well, and the side of his hand came up with a speed I doubted could be rivaled, landing a hit square between my eyes. I felt something pop as I stumbled back, my sight turned into a flat white field, the others only visible as slightly darker splotches of color. I closed my eyes, knowing that my other senses would have to take over for now. I heard air rushing to me, and sidestepped away from what had probably been a full-force sweeping kick. I felt the vibrations of the earth as his foot landed and there was a split second as he stood as still as statue, less than two feet from me.
There was another rush of air, higher this time, and I ducked under the Captain's punch. At the very last second, I realized that the punch had been a dupe, and his foot connected with my right knee. I groaned, my eyes snapping open, as my leg went numb and I fell on my ass. My vision was marginally better, enough for me to see his face a little too up close and personal as he leaned down to hiss for only me to hear.
"I don't know what you think you can do here, you overpaid drunkard. You're just like the rest of the MPs; corrupt, complacent wastes of space. Every single last one of you are too busy pissing your pants from the fucking thought of Titans to realize you used to be the best shot we had at beating them. Now you sit in the interior, too fat and drunk to do anything but sell off equipment that should go to the other regiments."
His words rekindled the fire of hatred, and my lips curled in a snarl as I kicked out at his ankles, making him fall with a very, very satisfying thud beside me. His eyes and jaw tightened and he raised a fist to sock me again when the voice of the Commander, beyond furious, broke through our bubble of rage. "Enough! You two, my office, on the double!"
Our glares met one last time, and we hopped up to chase after our commanding officer, both of us with the faintest limp and staring at nothing.
Levi was fully ready to blame the out of control fight on Lieutenant Nieves, but remained silent until they reached Erwin's office. The space could use a good organizing, but there were slightly more pressing matters to attend to. The most evident, ripping the tiny ginger a new one.
As soon as the door closed behind the trio, the midget began speaking in that obnoxious voice. Honestly, Levi had never heard a woman with such a deep tone. "Commander, I can explain-"
"Don't." Erwin calm gaze flicked between the two in front of him as he leaned against the edge of his desk. "Whatever is between you two, it stops immediately. We are all walking on eggshells as it is, I will not allow you two to fan the flames of distrust and distension within the ranks to an all-out bonfire."
"Sir, yes, sir," mumbled Amaya, her voice meek. Pathetic. She refused to meet the eyes of her superiors, instead staring at the scuffs on her boots.
"You're dismissed, First Lieutenant Nieves," and with that, the thorn in Levi's side was gone. For now, anyway.
"If that's all, I'll be heading out as well," the Captain said, already half out the door when the Commander spoke again.
"Not so fast, Levi." The named man froze for a second, his jaw clenching and grip on the door knob tightening. He then spun on his heel, door slamming behind him, and plopped gracelessly into the chair opposite Erwin, his brow raised in silent question. Erwin raised his own, a dare to argue like normal. For once, Levi didn't take up on it, and Erwin sighed in disappointment, turning away to step around the desk and sit down in his large, overstuffed chair.
The Commander placed a hand under his chin, resting his elbow on the armrest. He studied his subordinate for a moment more before asking, "What happened back there? I've seen you not like people on sight, but that was clear hatred."
Levi rolled his eyes, crossing his legs and leaning back in the chair, "Hell if I know. She's just... Annoying to look at. And she's an MP. What other reasons do I need?"
Erwin barked a short laugh, pouring himself and Levi cups of coffee from the pitcher that sat on the corner of his desk. Levi took the offered cup after raising a brow again, having to fight himself to keep from smirking. "How about insubordination, which she hasn't done yet? Or her trying to attack you for no reason, which is what you did, and forced a Cadet to help do?"
Levi sipped his coffee, seeing no reason to dispute the truth, but also wanting to get a few words of his own in. "I've also heard stories about her. Her past, should I say?"
"You have no right to fault someone for their past actions. You have just as much red in your past as she, if not more. Dismissed." The Commander had yet to touch his drink, instead filling out an unknown form as they spoke. Levi chugged the last of his own drink, carefully placing the cup upside down on the tray it had come from and leaving, the click of his boot heels echoing off the empty halls. Strange. Must be dinner time.
He followed the now familiar path to the mess hall, the chatter of dozens eventually meeting him as he tugged open the heavy oak door. Levi's lip curled as he saw a group of Cadets surrounding Lieutenant Amaya as she smiled calmly, saying something he couldn't hear over the din. His Cadets, he noticed as he neared them.
Hange was sitting two benches down from the group; close enough to hear what was being said but not so close as to be pulled into the conversation. A wise decision. Then again, it was Hange. They were the brilliant one of the Corp. Sitting beside them, Levi thought how odd it was that even he and Erwin didn't know their true gender. Just another close guarded secret, he supposed. "Hey, Shitty-glasses, what are the idiots doing swarming Nieves like flies, or have they actually given up all humanity and turned into the fucking pests?" Hange just snickered, held a finger to their lips, then pointed using that finger at the group not far from them.
"So, how long have you been in the military?" Sasha asked, and Levi crossed his arms, leaning them against the table. This would probably be his only chance to learn more about his little thorn.
Said thorn smiled again, warmer than last time but still slight, hesitant almost. Like it was something she wasn't used to doing. "I joined at twenty. I'm twenty-seven now."
"Wow! So, with two years of training, you would have been in the Military Police for five years, huh?" Next to question the visitor was Krista, Ymir with an arm around her shoulders and glaring at Reiner, who had been staring at her as she spoke.
"That's right. My team, the 7th Brigade, has been together since then. Seven of us were from the same class, myself included. Two of the others joined the Garrison, and the last of the top ten joined your division." She, like Levi, was leaning on her crossed arms, her head tilting to the side as she spoke.
"Really? Do we know them? Are they here?!" asked Eren, his face lighting up as he moved closer to his superior. Levi's brows pulled together as Amaya's expression fell, her entire body sagging. He had to strain his hearing to catch what was said next, although he wished he hadn't.
"She was, uh... I think you knew her, her name was Petra Ral." The mess hall fell quiet, all sharing in the sudden onslaught of grief. The heavy silence remained until Amaya spoke again, slightly green and veins in her neck visible, "I think I'm, uh, going to head to bed early. I'll see you all tomorrow at training." She stood without waiting for a response, jogging out of the hall after grabbing a full bottle of wine from the center of the table.
Levi snorted, even though he was starting to wonder why Petra had never mentioned her. She spoke of the rest of her graduating class often, but never once brought up Amaya Nieves. His confusion deepened when he caught sight of the Cadet from earlier, Leon-something, walking out at the same time. Without a limp. Levi had seen her ankle twist, had heard it, so she shouldn't have been up and about for three days at the least.
He wasn't the only one who noticed, apparently. As he turned back to Hange, who had asked him something, he saw Cadet Arlert, eyes scrunched together, staring after her as well.
The fuck was going on here?
A/N: I'd like to thank you all again for reading. And yes, both Levi and Amaya have a very bad case of potty-mouth. A big thank you to my amazing Beta, Frantastic1993~! You truly are a gem, girly! Also, thank you to author12306 and ZeldaFreak93 for their kind reviews. I also want to apologize for not getting this up sooner, it was my birthday yesterday, so busy day.
Disclaimer: Oh, I wish I owned Attack on Titan/ Shingeki no Kyojin. But I don't. I'm only using the characters for some amusement.