Alterations
SUMMARY: Are you willing to abandon your humanity to save the thousands who will only curse your name? Can you truly become a monster for the sake of the ones you care about? Because once you've been chosen to carry the burden of your people, there is no other alternative. AU where, under very different circumstances, Levi saves Mikasa from the traffickers. Shifter!Mikasa.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Stuff goes down.
They set off early in the morning, before the sun had even begun to peek over the tops of the clouds. As Mikasa mounted her horse, she felt a growing pit of dread in her stomach and though she knew that this job wasn't without its casualties, she wished that once again, Eren had chosen anything but this.
"You ready?" Levi asked, not quite looking at her, but rather, at the rest of his squad suiting up.
"I don't think I'll ever be," she replied honestly. "I need to talk to you." The words that had refused to come out last night were still heavy on the tip of her tongue. "It's important."
"So is this," she insisted. "It'll only take a minute."
"Not now."
"But—"
"Not now," he repeated. "You can tell me when we come back."
She chose not to press it and followed the corporal to where the rest of the squad was standing.
"Your first mission," said Petra to the girl. "Are you nervous?"
"Not really," replied Mikasa, but her eyes kept straying to Eren and Petra knew she wasn't telling the whole truth.
"It's okay!" Called out Gunther as he overtook them. "Petra and Auruo pissed their pants on their first expedition!"
"We did not!" Auruo yelled.
Eren laughed and Mikasa felt her heart lighten, but only slightly.
They rode for what felt like hours. Coloured smoke continuously erupted on either side of them, but the blasts from the small handguns were drowned out by the thundering hooves. Mikasa held her body low and followed the back of Levi's head; all the while keeping an eye peeled for titans headed their way. However, Erwin's formation was sound and they encountered none as they rode up to the entrance of the dark forest.
Then, there was a noise like the crashing of thunder.
"Did you hear that?" Petra tilted her head in the direction of the noise, not an easy feat on horseback. "It sounded like a titan…" Her brows furrowed. "Except I've never heard one move that fast."
"Might be a deviant type," suggested Gunther. "But the others will take care of that."
"Yeah," chimed in Auruo. "And even if they don't, I'm sure I could take it out easily."
"That won't be necessary," said Mikasa, eyeing the man with slight distaste. "Our objective is to protect Eren. Any detours will just waste time."
Erd let out a bark of nervous laughter. "I think Mikasa channeled Levi better than you, Auruo. Looks like she's a shoo-in for corporal."
Mikasa turned to smile at the man, but a certain noise distracted her. "The footsteps," she said. "They're coming closer." The large form of the female type titan burst from the trees, running with terrifying ease. It seemed to be following their group.
"A deviant type!" Petra called out.
From in front of her, Eren brought his hand to his mouth, preparing to bite down, when a fearsome glare from Levi stopped him. "Don't be too hasty."
Several members of the Scouting Legion swung down from the trees around them, preparing to engage the female type titan in combat. The first two aimed for her neck, but the titan dodged around their frenzied blade-swinging and with her free hand, grabbed the wire of the 3DMG and used it to fling its user into the ground.
"D-did you see that?" Petra asked.
"They need our help!" Yelled Eren. "They need our help," he repeated, watching as the second was plucked from the air by a huge hand and crushed to death. The broken body was dropped to the ground, the female type nearly smiling at the corpse. Looking up at the escaping squad, it took off in pursuit of them, its feet thundering on the natural path.
"Eren, just keep going!" Yelled Gunther. "Don't stop. Just keep going!"
"Have faith in the corporal," said Petra. "He knows what he's doing. Just keep going, Eren." She cast a worried glance over her shoulder at the rapidly approaching titan.
"Permission to engage!" Mikasa asked. "Permission to switch to Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear!"
Levi didn't respond.
"No," was his answer after a beat of silence that seemed to stretch on forever. "We have to protect Yeager."
Eren glared at the approaching titan, bringing his hand closer to his open mouth.
"I won't stop you," said Levi to the boy. "You can shift if you want. I know exactly how to put you down if you go out of control again. I won't tell you that shifting is wrong or that you shouldn't do it. That's not my call to make."
Eren froze, his hand halfway to his bared teeth. He looked at Levi helplessly. The man sighed.
"The only thing I can tell you to do is make the one choice that you won't later regret."
"Eren," said Petra over the loud crashing of hooves upon dirt. "Have some faith in us. We'll get you somewhere safe. Have faith in your comrades."
"I won't let anything happen to you," added Mikasa, feeling the weight of her Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear hanging from her hips. "I won't let anything happen to any of us."
"Brave words for a newbie," said Auruo. "But she's right. We'll get you out of here. It's only natural, seeing as we're the most skilled."
The titan grew closer. "Keep on moving," said Levi to the rest of his squad. "Don't stop." He looked over at Eren. "Have you made your decision yet?"
Eren nodded resolutely. "I won't shift," he promised. "I'll trust in my comrades! I'll, I'll keep going with you!"
Petra smiled, which reassured him somewhat, but the screams echoing from behind the squad was cause for their nervousness. The titan held a struggling woman in her grip. Thrashing about, she begged to be let go. The titan paused, almost as if she was actually considering the offer. Then, she scraped the woman against the wood of a tree with enough force to shave the upper half of her body off. Dropping the destroyed corpse, she resumed her pursuit.
"She's not slowing down," said Petra to Mikasa. "What sort of deviant type is that?"
"Hopefully the kind that's difficult to kill," replied Mikasa. "Wouldn't be much of a challenge otherwise." The expression on her face grew dark, looking at odds with her normally neutral visage. Turning back to the sprinting titan, she scanned it much like a predator eyes its prey, searching for weaknesses. In addition to its immense speed and stamina, it seemed to be more aware of its own shortcomings, demonstrated by its reaction to the soldiers using the 3DMG.
"Fire!" Came a voice from up above in the trees. As Mikasa and the rest of the squad passed through a thicket of trees, dozens of harpoons shot out, piercing the skin of the titan. "Fire again!" Mikasa recognized the voice as Erwin Smith.
More harpoons shot out from hidden cannons. Trailed by thick wire not unlike that used for the 3DMG, they wrapped the female titan in a cocoon, limiting her movement. As more and more of the pointed lances punctured her hide, the female titan's movement began to slow down and eventually stilled.
Levi stopped. "Get rid of the horses. Tether them somewhere else and switch to the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear. Erd," he nodded to the man. "You're in charge for now. I'm joining up with Erwin for the time being."
Erd nodded.
"Remember our mission," said Levi. "You must hide Eren. Make sure that that titan does not get close to him."
"Yes sir."
"Levi." Mikasa dismounted her horse and moved toward him. "Was that our plan all along? To capture that titan? Did you put all of us at risk for that?"
Levi averted his eyes from her. "Listen to Erd. Do not go off on your own."
"This is the power of the Scouting Legion," said Auruo to a shell-shocked Eren. "Don't underestimate us, you hear?"
Eren nodded enthusiastically.
"Levi," Mikasa said more firmly. There was only so much of this she could take before lashing out. This Levi, so focussed on obeying commands, was alien to her, but she knew that somewhere deep down, the old Levi was still there. That Levi would still listen to her.
He finally turned, looking her in the eyes. "What is it?"
She sighed. "I need to talk to you about something." She began, but was distracted by Auruo's yelling for her to join them.
"Can you tell me later?"
She frowned. "Not really. It'll only take a second."
"Not now, Ackerman," he said, firmly but not altogether unkindly. "Tell me later." He brushed his hand alongside hers and the contact surprised her. Still, she opened her hand and gently wrapped her fingers around his. As children, they had held hands often, but this was different. "Stay safe and remember the objective of this mission."
"I know," she said.
"Now, go."
Nodding to him, she jogged over to where the rest of the squad stood. With one last vaguely hesitant look, she took off, anchoring herself to the trees above and using their height to propel herself through the air.
"Took you long enough," said Eren beside her. "What were you talking to the corporal about?"
"Nothing," she said, wincing as Eren narrowing dodged a tree. "Watch where you're going." She kept her gaze directed forward, willing the trees to part as she nimbly swung between them.
The squad was silent for a while; the only noise was the hiss of their 3D Maneuver Gear as it launched them from one spot to another. Though the area they were travelling through was quiet and seemed to be devoid of titans, Mikasa refused to let her guard down. Something about that titan earlier had set her nerves alight and though she trusted Levi to do what was necessary, she wasn't sure if even he knew how to stop it.
A scream echoed through the forest. The noise took Mikasa by surprise, jerking her out of the lull that came with comforting silence. Quickly launching her hook into a nearby tree, she anchored herself there for a moment while she caught her breath.
"What was that?" Eren asked. He looked over at Mikasa worriedly. "Do you think something happened?"
"Whatever it was, it can't be good," she said.
"Right," agreed Petra. "We need to keep moving. The corporal will catch up with us. For now, keeping Eren safe is our main priority."
"Speaking of the corporal, isn't that him?" From over on her right, Gunther pointed to a gap between the trees. Mikasa craned her neck and could faintly make out the outline of a figure moving very quickly.
"Must be," said Erd. His gaze followed the figure as they moved alongside the group. Oddly enough, they didn't seem to want to get any closer, always keeping enough of a distance in order for their face to stay concealed. "Corporal!" He called over to the figure. "That was quick."
The figure either hadn't heard Erd through their hood, or simply chose to ignore them. Putting on a burst of speed, they overtook the group. Mikasa felt a pit in the bottom of her stomach, similar to the time when she was nine and those men appeared at her doorstep.
"Something isn't right," said Petra. "Why could Corporal Levi be here, now? How could he have caught up so quickly?"
"He's the corporal," said Auruo breezily, but even he sounded worried. Straining his eyes, he squinted in the general direction of the figure. Mikasa watched his line of sight and when his face paled, her heart nearly stopped in her chest. "That isn't the corporal."
"What?" Erd asked.
"That isn't the corporal," repeated Auruo.
"Gunther!" Petra screamed to the man who was closest to the rapidly closing-in figure. "Get back! That isn't the corporal!"
Gunther, hearing Petra, decided to increase his speed. Blades withdrawn, he went in for the kill. However, the figure stopped, letting Gunther shoot in front of them and just as he passed, they slashed through the wire. Gunther's eyes widened as the constant tugging that came with donning the 3D Maneuver Gear disappeared. His body jerked to the one side still attached.
"Gunther!" Eren yelled. But, it was no use. The man was gone, his eyes possessing the sort of dullness that came with death and his body hung limply from a wire. Eren made the motion to stop, but was prevented from doing so by Erd.
"Don't," he said. "We have to keep going."
"They killed Gunther!"
"And they'll kill us too if we stop," he said. No sign of sorrow showed on his outer visage; the man was resolute in his decision to protect the boy until such a time came when either it was no longer required, or he was dead. "Keep moving."
"They're the titan!" Eren insisted. Erd turned to him with surprise. "I know they are. They have to be. The way they moved, as if they knew how the 3DMG worked, means they have to know something."
"Eren's right," agreed Mikasa. "I'm willing to bet that whoever killed Gunther is also the titan that chased us down. And I have a feeling they're after Eren." She remembered the eyes of the female type, how the silvery blue of them seemed so familiar and so foreign at the same time. "It has to be an inside job. Otherwise, how else would they get a hold of the 3DMG?"
"They're coming back!" Auruo yelled. He dodged the figure's blades, repeatedly launching the harpoons over and over so that they were unable to get a clear shot at them. The figure swung around and shot into the trees ahead.
A sudden change in atmosphere popped Mikasa's ears. A quick look behind told her that something in the thicket of trees had emitted an enormous amount of light. Dust rolled in and the trees blew back; the only thing that kept her from getting swept up in the flow was her 3DMG. "Shit," she whispered, instantly recognizing the sight. With a brief glance at Eren, she knew he recognized it too. Or, had experienced it at one point or another.
A titan emerged from the trees behind them, its skin looking very much like the inside-out anatomy of a human. Shifting into a sprinting pose, it took off.
"That came from behind us," said Erd. "The person who killed Gunther is in front of us. If the titan is coming from behind us, who killed Gunther?" The titan advanced upon the group. Erd paused, letting the rest of the squad move ahead. "Keep going!" He said to them. "I'll hold her off!"
"Erd!" Eren yelled, watching the man move to what would inevitably be his demise.
"Don't look back!" Petra said. "We have to keep an eye out for—urk!" Just before she could finish the sentence, she was shot down from the sky by a green blur.
"Petra!" Auruo followed her down.
Petra gnashed her teeth together and aiming for a spot above her, managed to get herself upright, pushing the figure off her chest. As they were kicked back, their hood nearly fell from their head, but they managed to stop it in time.
They dashed forward and slashed their blades across Petra's chest and stomach. Or they would have, had not Auruo intervened at the most crucial moment. "You bitch!" He seethed, approaching them from behind. They dodged, unhooking the 3DMG to let themselves fall. Once the figure had cleared itself of Auruo, it headed upwards.
"The kids!" Petra looked to where the figure had flown. "We need to catch up!" Just as she said the words, the female type titan came thundering out from the trees.
"You go! I'll stay here and distract it!" Auruo offered.
"Where's Erd?"
"Petra, go!"
"No," she said firmly. "This is Mikasa and Eren's first expedition. I don't care that Eren is a shifter or that Mikasa is a prodigy. They need us right now. Together."
Auruo nodded shakily and the two took off, following the darting figure.
"Everyone's gone," said Eren to Mikasa. Their ragtag team of seven had been whittled down to two. Levi was, hopefully, still with the rest of the Scouting Legion, if he hadn't been killed already. Gunther was dead, killed by the mysterious figure. Erd was probably horribly maimed, if not dead. Petra and Auruo had been detained by the figure and if the female type titan had caught up to them, it wouldn't exactly bode well for the two. "Mikasa, what do we do?" For the first time in a long time, Eren looked to his sister for direction.
"We keep going," she said, refusing to let her composure falter. On the outside, she was calm, cool, and collected. But, on the inside, she was a roiling whirlpool of turmoil. Her skills were top-notch. She was unafraid of titans; she knew, in her heart of hearts, that she possessed the power to put them down. There was no need to be afraid of something you knew you could kill. So, why this? Why could she feel herself shaking? "Keep going until Levi catches up." She hadn't even realized she let the name, such a casual form of address, slip, until it was too late. Lucky for her, Eren was too stressed to notice.
"Mikasa! Above you!"
Mikasa's gaze shot skyward and realizing that the hooded figure was bearing down on her, rapidly changed direction. The two kept pace with each other, dodging in and out of trees, using the foliage as camouflage. Mikasa made sure to keep Eren in her line of sight the whole time. Finally, she put on a burst of speed, overtaking the figure. Spinning around, she waited for them to approach and just as they did, kicked them square in the stomach. They flew backwards and the force of the blow caused the hood to fly back, revealing their face. Mikasa felt as if her heart dropped all the way down to the pit of her stomach. "Reya?"
Reya wiped the side of her mouth with her wrist and looked up at Mikasa with a vague smile on her face. "Surprised to see me?" She looked the same as ever, heavily-lidded eyes and sharp nose contrasting against the soft roundness of her cheeks. The only difference was a ropy scar tracing the side of her jaw and the short hair, a far cry from her usual shoulder-dusting braid. "It's been a long time, after all. Actually, that's a lie," her smile grew feral, "I saw you in Trost not a month ago."
"You're supposed to be dead," Mikasa hissed, completely shell-shocked.
"Am I?" Reya's eyes hardened and crossing her blades, rushed Mikasa. Mikasa deflected them easily, her strength far overpowering Reya's. "You've grown strong," she mused. "But, are you stronger than me?" Gone was the kind woman who'd once offered Mikasa a home. Gone was the person who'd taught her how to fight with knives and how to catch a pickpocket in a crowd. In her place was this sneering villainess, the blood of Mikasa's comrade on her hands.
Mikasa willed herself not to dwell on the betrayal. Instead, she gauged the distance between them and where she guessed the female type titan was. Without answering Reya, she shot off, hoping that the other girl would pursue her. True enough, she heard the hissing of unleashing hooks and with a look behind, knew that Reya was following.
"Don't worry," she said. "I won't kill you! I promise."
"Yeah right," murmured Mikasa, still feeling the sting of Gunther's untimely demise. The forest opened up in front of her and soon, she was back on the dirt road that wove between the crowded trees. "Eren!"
Eren was standing on a branch, shading his eyes from the pockets of sunlight that crept through the thick canopy of foliage. "Mikasa!"
"Eren, go!" Mikasa called, feeling that Reya was beginning to catch up. "Go, now!"
Eren saw the woman behind Mikasa and though he didn't recognize her, something told him that she wasn't an ally. With the female titan approaching them from the rear—Eren could see her moving in closer and closer with every passing second—he knew there was only one thing he could do. He began to bring his hand to his mouth; the only thought he had in mind was how to protect Mikasa.
"Eren!" A new voice sounded. Petra, not maimed, but looking fatigued, appeared, Auruo by her side. He landed on the branch beside Eren, picked him up, and took off.
"Hey! Let go, man!" Auruo dropped him and Eren, not one to be smashed against the ground, began using his 3DMG to move upwards. "Mikasa's in trouble," he said, just as the strange woman practically materialized in front of him, nearly pinning him to a tree.
"So, you're the Yeager boy?" She cocked her head to the side, her black eyes glinting with poorly-concealed glee. Then, she shot forward like a cannon, with the intent of piercing him upon her blades. Petra managed to intercept the attack, but as a result, was stabbed through the shoulder. She hung like a marionette, anchored between the tree and the woman.
"Petra!" Eren yelled, trying to regain his balance. A whirl of wind beside him told him that Mikasa had just appeared.
"You betrayed me," she said to Reya, voicing her feelings for the first time.
Reya yanked her blade out of Petra's shoulder and whipped it through the air to sling the blood off. "This isn't betrayal," she said lowly. She turned to Mikasa with a wounded expression on her face. "Mikasa, come with me. It'll be just like old times."
Mikasa saw the female titan approach out of the corner of her eye. "You were supposed to be my family. I trusted you and you tried to kill me." She reached for words, for explanations, anything that would buy them enough time. "Why?"
She'd stalled enough. The female titan leapt forward, pushing through the defense provided by Auruo. She stretched her arm forward, trying to grab at them. Mikasa began to push off, hoping that she could bait Reya into getting in the way of the titan's grip. However, the titan stilled the moment it saw Reya, almost as if it was awaiting an order from her.
Reya laughed. "Did you just try to kill me?" She asked an enraged Mikasa. "I give you props for that. Very creative. Unfortunately, there's a lot you still don't know and I don't plan on being the one to tell you just yet." Turning to the female type, she smirked. "Get the boy," she said, the timbre of her voice dropping. "I want him alive."
Mikasa slunk into an offensive position and was about to strike when Petra and Auruo blocked her way. "Get Eren to safety," said Petra. Mikasa saw that her face was pale and limbs were shaking. Whether it was from exhaustion or blood loss, Mikasa didn't know.
"We'll take care of them," promised Auruo. "Go."
"Eren," Mikasa looked to her adoptive brother, who shook his head vehemently.
"Done saying your goodbyes, yet?" Reya interrupted. "Not that it matters. We'll catch all of you anyways. Or kill, depending on how much you struggle."
The female type titan, most likely fed up with waiting, struck at the two. Petra and Auruo leapt out of the way, each in opposite directions.
"Tch." Reya looked over at Mikasa and Eren, both of whom had stubbornly decided to stay and fight. "I didn't want to have to be the one to do this, but I guess you two leave me no choice."
"Eren, this is my fight," said Mikasa.
"Who is this woman?" Eren asked. Though he was familiar with her position in Mikasa's life, he had yet to see her face to face.
"Once upon a time, I rescued a young girl from a cabin in the mountains. After that, I offered her a place in my home with my little brother. We were such a happy family until the little brother was forced to join the military and the sister died, leaving the young girl all on her own," said Reya.
"You faked your death," said Mikasa. "You forced me to set fire to the house while you faked your death."
"A minor technicality. Now, instead of fighting me, why don't you just let Eren come with me?" Reya held out her hand, as if Eren was some prize to be won. "I'll call off the female titan. She does listen to me, you know. It's amazing, what a few well-placed threats will do to a person."
Mikasa moved bodily in front of him, her blades still drawn.
"No?" Reya shrugged. "Suit yourself. Your friends are fighting a losing battle, you know."
Auruo and Petra, despite moving like a well-oiled machine, were too exhausted and missing too many of their team members to call their battle a decisive victory. Though they had managed to land several blows on the female type, including gouging out her eyes, the titan had the distinct advantage of size, strength, and regeneration over them.
"She's blind," yelled Auruo to Petra. "Strike now!"
Petra swung down from above, spinning her body. Strangely, the titan stopped moving and after a few seconds, cracked open one fully healed eye.
"She…healed one eye?" Auruo whispered to himself, horrified of the implications.
The titan simply plucked Petra out from the air and with a considerable amount of force, threw her body against a tree. She landed at the base, her body angled at an unnatural position.
"No…" Auruo whispered to himself, having seen too many of his friends die in the recent hours. "No…" With renewed vigour, he challenged the female type again, keeping as far from her hands as possible. At last, he had reached her neck and just as he crashed down to deliver the final blow, the skin crystallized. His blades shattered against the diamond-like material.
The titan, growing weary of trying to fend off Auruo's blows, took this opportunity to slam the surprised man to the ground using her free hand. With her feet, she stomped on the body. Enemies defeated, she straightened up and resumed jogging, intent on finding the boy.
"You see that?" Reya whispered to Mikasa, their closeness a result of Reya defending herself from Mikasa's crashing blades. "Your friends died again. Needlessly, I might add. You could've stopped that, you know."
Mikasa saw red. Whizzing backwards, she ignored Reya's taunts and took off, hoping to find Eren. "Eren!" She called out, hoping that he was somewhere nearby. Behind her, the female titan's pace increased, her focus shifting to Mikasa. The girl dodged the titan's grasping hands, taking advantage of her size to skirt between the trees. Spotting Eren ahead of her, she put on a burst of speed to catch up with the boy.
"Mikasa." Eren's eyes were panicked. "Did they make it?" At Mikasa's solemn shake of the head, his expression turned venomous. "I'm going to kill her," he murmured. "Kill them all."
"Eren, I—" Mikasa never finished her sentence. Appearing out of seemingly nowhere, Reya surprised the duo from the side, pushing Mikasa into a tree. She ground her teeth at the impact and Reya whizzed off, aiming this time for Eren, the female titan not far behind.
Finally, Eren made his decision. Regretful that he had hesitated earlier and feeling the burden of his comrades' deaths, he chose to stand his ground. There was only one solution now. He had to fight. Bringing the heel of his hand to his mouth, Eren bit down as hard as he could. The answer was clear, as was his objective.
The rogue titan roared, the noise reverberating through the forest. Further in, Levi frowned at the noise, feeling a curious mixture of dread and anticipation toward its implications.
Mikasa could only watch as the two titans fought, transfixed by the sheer display of brute strength. Though the female titan seemed to have the advantage going into the fight, Eren was desperate, and desperation made people dangerous. The female titan, at first, was able to dodge most of his blows, but as the fight wore on, her reflexes were beginning to dull.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Reya's voice crooned next to her ear. "Your opponent is me."
Mikasa spun around. "I was just getting ready," she said coolly, locking away the rest of her emotions deep inside her. "Are you?"
Reya laughed, the noise high and chilling. "Let's see what you've got."
The moment their blades met, Mikasa knew she was outmatched. Not for lack of skill or power, but because Mikasa was still relatively inexperienced. There was a difference between training with the blades and actually using them in combat. Though her ability with the weapons when facing titans was on par—and in some cases, surpassing—many veteran soldiers, Mikasa had yet to use them against another human being. However, she refused to let that sinking knowledge deter her, forcing herself to focus only on what was in front of her.
Their fight continued on, Mikasa knowing that she was avoiding death only because Reya wanted her to. Her muscles began to ache. Every part of her ached and even her bones felt weary. Still, she fought.
Then, she heard it; a terrible squelching noise behind her. Spinning around rapidly, she bore witness as the female titan sliced cleanly through the top of the rogue titan's head, effectively decapitating him. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Leaning down, the female titan pulled Eren's still body out of the neck using her teeth.
"No!" Mikasa moved to intercept them, but in the heat of the moment, forgot about Reya. The woman slashed her blades at her back, opening up long, but shallow wounds.
The female titan began to jog away, Eren's body still in her mouth.
"Get away from me!" In a burst of fury, Mikasa knocked Reya's blades away from her and like earlier, set her spinning with a well-placed kick at her stomach. Heart pumping in her ears, she took off in pursuit of the female type. As she rounded a corner, the female titan's neck came into view. Mikasa leapt as high as she could, ready to bring her blades crashing down, but someone grabbed her around the waist, pulling her away.
"That's enough," said Levi, holding Mikasa as if she was weightless. "You're only going to hurt yourself."
Mikasa struggled, but to no avail. Levi's grip around her waist was too strong. "She has Eren. And she killed everyone else!"
"Not everyone," said a voice to her side. Erd Gin, looking bloodied, but very much alive, was following alongside them. "I managed to get away from the female type by playing dead. Not very cool, but considering the circumstances, it'll have to do."
Mikasa almost felt like crying.
"We'll get Eren," promised Erd. "And we'll get that person who killed Gunther."
Mikasa looked over at Levi, steeling herself to reveal the identity of the person, but the look in his eyes silenced her immediately. "When we catch up, I'll deal with the titan. You and Erd distract the double agent."
"But—"
"I've refilled up on blades and gas. You and Erd haven't."
"I can help."
Levi's eyes softened fractionally. "You will. Just stick to the plan."
Mikasa clenched her teeth, biting back the verbal lashing she would have otherwise given him. Shifting uncomfortably, she tried to ignore the sudden wave of prickly heat she felt underneath her skin, but it continued to grow hotter and hotter. Her hand, in particular, gave off the same sensation as it did when blood rushed into it after a long period of it being numb.
Erd looked over at the girl who'd suddenly gone quiet, concerned with her lack of response. "Mikasa?"
She jerked her head to face him and he recoiled slightly. "What is it?" She rasped.
Erd shook his head. "Your eyes," he said, but then shook his head. "Must have been a trick of the light."
Mikasa hardly registered the words, the buzzing in her head cancelling out every other noise in the vicinity.
"She's coming back around!" Called out Levi. "Be on your guard!"
The Female Titan had stopped, apparently finding her entourage too bothersome to ignore. Leaning forward, she hardened her hand into a crystal-like substance and swept it through the 3DMG wires of the person closest to her, that person being Mikasa.
"Mikasa!"
Mikasa couldn't tell whether it was Levi or Erd calling her name. Air rushed past her as she fell and with only one functional 3DMG hook, she knew that using it would kill her anyways. There was nothing left to do but wait.
"Protect Eren for me, won't you?"
Those words again. They echoed louder than the rushing air, louder than the whizzing of wires above her or the footsteps of the female titan. It was the only thing Mikasa could truly hear.
And then, something inside her snapped.
