Coming Home
The next day and back on earth, Levi once again had another sleepless night. The storms still have not ceased at night and neither have the nightmares. The soldier sat at his desk, half asleep with his head propped up by his fist. Eren tried to help.
Eren: "Sir. Maybe you should lie down. I can fetch a blanket for you."
Levi: "... It won't help, Eren... But I appreciate it anyway..."
The teen sighed. Levi was getting worse. His health was deteriorating. He hardly ate now. He needed sleep, but he just couldn't get it. Not with those nightmares constantly plaguing him like this night after night. Toushiro was concerned and he had tried to help earlier, but nothing. In fact many have tried to help Levi but nothing has worked. It seemed they could only wait and hope the Z-Fighters were successful. By now, Levi was the only one who was clueless to the plan. But that was about to change. There was a knock at the door.
Levi: "Could you see who that is, Eren?"
Eren: "Sure."
The teen went to the door and looked outside. He then turned back to Levi.
Eren: "Captain. You have some visitors."
Levi: "Tell them I'm not in the mood and am not feeling well."
Eren: "Yeeeaaahhh I don't wanna piss him off."
Levi: "Say what?... *Sigh* Never mind. I just don't care."
Eren: "Don't say I didn't warn you, sir. (To the outside) He says he doesn't wanna see ya right now!"
Then a roar of thunder erupted. Not from the sky, but from a pair of lungs!
Vegeta: "Bullshit! Levi, get out here right now or I'll come in there and drag your sorry ass out myself!"
Throughly shaken awake by sheer panic, Levi just gazed at Eren who had tried to warn him.
Eren: "Told ya."
With a groan, Levi got up-
Levi: "Eren, from now on... Let me know in advance if it's Vegeta."
-and walked over to the door.
Levi: "The guy actually scares me..."
Levi then looked outside into the light of day. The sun shined with warmth and made everything under it shine beautifully. The air had a fresh scent. And standing outside within this beautiful world with the sun shining a ray of light through the clouds and down on them, Vegeta stood with two new, and old, friends.
Vegeta: "Remember these faces?"
Levi gazed at the two next to the proud saiyan prince with shock and wide eyes. It truly felt like his heart was going to stop at that moment as the two waved at him warmly and shouted at him.
Farlan: "Levi!"
Isabel: "Big Bro!"
Farlan: "It's us!"
The captains, the lieutenants, the Z-Fighters... Everyone who was in on the surprise all just quietly gathered around Squad 9's office to watch the reunion. But everything around him was nothing but a blur. All Levi could see were the smiling faces of the two he had lost so long ago.
Levi: (With a shake in his voice) "F-Farlan?... Isa-Isabel?... I-It... It can't be..."
Smiling even more, Vegeta just looked at the two who both eagerly waited for the command from the great prince. He gave it.
Vegeta: "Go to him."
And with shouts of laughter and excitement, Farlan and Isabel ran towards their old friend. Levi slowly started to walk to them, still trying to believe what he was really seeing. Isabel was the first to reach Levi and she just smashed into him with an instant hug. Farlan just stopped in front of them and waited for the girl to move so he could have his turn.
Isabel: "Big Bro! We've missed you!"
Farlan: "We're so glad to see you again!"
Levi still couldn't believe this was real. He still thought it was a dream. After Isabel let go and Farlan had his turn to say hello to his old friend, they both just waited for Levi to say something. When Eren came up, he finally did.
Levi: "Eren... ... Hit me."
Eren: (Understandably spooked) "W-What?!"
Levi: "Hit me, as hard as you can."
Eren: "But, sir, why?!"
Levi: "I... I need to know if this is a dream or not... So hit me. It might be the only chance you'll ever get."
Vegeta: "If you don't want to, I will."
Levi: "... I'm begging you, Eren!"
Eren hesitated at the request. He then took a deep breath and pulled his hand into a fist.
Eren: "O-Ok, sir. Just remember, you asked for this!"
And Eren threw his hardest punch right into his captain's jaw! Some gasped while many just flinched. That is most likely the only time Eren will ever get to punch Levi without consequence. Levi stumbled and held his sore jaw while Eren tended to his sore hand.
Eren: "What is your jaw made of?!"
This wasn't a dream. It was real. The pain. The sunlight. The fresh air. It was all real. Which meant...
Levi: "This is real... You're both here..."
Isabel: "And ready to kick Titan butt!"
Farlan: "Except there are no Titans here, remember? Vegeta told you this like three times already."
Isabel: "Oh yeah."
Levi: "Farlan... Isabel..."
Both of them just looked at Levi as he went up to them and pulled them both into a hug. He couldn't believe it. His friends were back! He could see them, hear them... touch them. They were back. As it finally began to sink in, Levi started to weep.
Levi: "You're back... You're really back!..."
Isabel: "Big Bro?"
Farlan: "Levi?"
Levi: "I'm so sorry... The choice I made back then... ... I've regretted it ever since..."
Farlan: "Hey, we don't blame you."
Isabel: "Yeah, Big Bro. Stop it, you're scaring me."
Levi: "Hah..."
Levi pulled away and rubbed his tired eyes before gazing back at both of them. Just then, Vegeta walked up.
Levi: "Vegeta... You did this?"
Vegeta: "Not just me. Look around you, Levi."
As the soldier looked around, he saw everyone standing around with smiles. The Soul Reapers, the Z-Fighters, Ichigo and his friends, and Eren and the others.
Vegeta: "We all had a hand in this."
Levi: "But why?"
Toushiro: "It's as I told you, Levi."
Levi turned around and saw Toushiro walking up to them.
Toushiro: "We're your friends, Levi. We take care of those we care about and you're no exception. And quite frankly, those baggy dark circles under your eyes are starting to scare us."
Levi just reached up and felt one of his eyelids. The bottom was indeed a bit swollen from his lack of sleep for the past week, and he could only imagine how dark they were too.
Toushiro: "You need to get some sleep, and if this is what it takes to help you get some sleep again, hell we'll do it all day long."
Levi just sighed and smiled at Toushiro, grateful to have friends like him and many others who cared about him.
Levi: "... Thank you... everyone."
Toushiro: "No problem. Now then..."
And the young captain went over to Farlan and Isabel to introduce himself.
Toushiro: "I'm Toushiro Hitsugaya. I'm sure Vegeta and the others have explained everything to you by now."
Farlan: "Yeah, they have."
Isabel: "Thanks for savin' Big Bro!"
Toushiro: "It was my pleasure."
Kurotsuchi: "So these two were eaten by Titans?-"
Toushiro: "Here we go."
Kurotsuchi: "Actually eaten by Titans?!"
Levi groaned as Kurotsuchi came up to them. He really wasn't well enough to deal with him right now.
Kurotsuchi: "I have one question for you two then. What was it like?!"
The painted man got in both Farlan and Isabel's faces and they were both scared of him.
Farlan: "Uh... E-Excuse me?"
Isabel: "Big Bro, this guy is scaring me."
Kurotsuchi: "What was it like to be torn to pieces or getting a part of your body bitten off?! I want to know!"
Vegeta: "You wanna know?"
Kurotsuchi caught himself. Vegeta was still there.
Vegeta: (With a growl and baring his teeth) "Keep pushing it."
Toushiro: "Uh, here's one thing they may not have told you. Whatever you do, don't piss off Vegeta. It just might be the very last thing you ever do. And if you don't believe me, just ask your buddy Levi there. He learned this the HARD way."
Both Farlan and Isabel just gazed at Levi in surprise who just nodded in agreement.
Kurotsuchi: (With Vegeta slowly inching closer to him with teeth bared) "Hey, down, saiyan! Down! Aren't one of you going to stop him?!"
Toushiro: "Hell no!"
Kurotsuchi: "Levi?!"
Levi: "(Shakes his head)... Personally I hope he eats your ass."
Toushiro: "I can arrange that- Vegeta! LUNCH TIME!"
Right on cue and to everyone's eternal amusement, Vegeta lunged at Kurotsuchi with a roar and started chasing him around! The Squad 12 captain just ran for his life with Vegeta right behind him. Toushiro, Farlan, Isabel, Eren, and Levi all just laughed with everyone else.
Toushiro: "By the way, Levi. Eren told me that you are in need of a 3rd Seat Officer. Well I already talked to Yamamoto and it's already set. Both Farlan Church and Isabel Magnolia are now your 3rd Seat Officers. I'll leave everything else to you."
Levi: "Thank you, Toushiro."
Toushiro: "AFTER you get some sleep, that is! Eren, I'll leave him to you. I've got enough problems fetching Vegeta as it is."
Eren: "Heh-heh. Don't worry, Toushiro. I'll take care of Captain Levi."
That night, the sky was clear and shined with stars. Farlan and Isabel were still up, still overly excited about everything. They were alive again, in a world where Titans didn't exist outside of those who can turn into them willingly, and best of all... they were back with Levi. For now, they were staying in the same room as the Squad Captain. Isabel was looking out the window and up at the starry sky, eager for tomorrow to come so they can be shown this exciting new world, while Farlan was busy reading a book about the rules and laws of the Soul Society that Eren had given him. Farlan looked up from the book and looked down at the sleeping figure close beside him with a smile. For a full week, Levi has had little to no sleep. But now... he slept soundly at long last. The cause of his plaguing nightmares was gone, his friends were back and they had never blamed him for their deaths. And now he was sure that Toushiro was back and here to stay as well. The storms were now gone and the rain has washed away all the pain of yesterday.
His friends have come home.
The End
Anyone see the connection involving Levi's nightmares and the storms? This chapter also goes great while listening to Coming Home by Skylar Grey. (The 2 minute one with her and her alone.)
