Together Again

Chapter 10: Growing Up

-First Year-

Levi pulled a bottle out of the fridge, staring at it for a moment before turning to Eren. "I think I heat this up but I have absolutely no idea…" he murmured, turning to the microwave placing the flat-bottomed bottle in, setting the timer for twenty seconds. "It's milk either way though, so what's the difference?"

Eren nodded, almost as if in agreement, but that could have just been an unconscious little head bob. The timer beeped and Levi pulled the microwave door open, pulling the plastic bottle out and setting it down on the table floor. He turned back to Eren and picked him up; stretching on his tiptoes to get him out of the highchair that their parents had put him in.

I really need to start growing, Levi thought irately as he sat down on the ground, Eren cradled in his arm. He grabbed the bottle and spun it around in his hand. "Don't say I don't try," he grumbled, smiling softly as Eren's tiny hands grabbed the hand holding the bottle.

"Oh my God, he is so cute!" Zoe said for what seemed like the millionth time as she poked Eren's face. Levi rolled his eyes, "Yeah, certainly cuter than you." Zoe let out a squeak of indignation and whipped around, her finger still outstretched and dangerously close to Levi's eye; he found himself staring down her finger, going cross-eyed trying to keep it in his vision.

"It's a miracle Petra likes you," she said sternly, "You have the disposition of a snake or a badger; mean and rude." Levi snorted but moved a few feet away nevertheless, to ensure the safety of his eyes if nothing else. Irvin smiled and watched as Zoe shot Levi one last demonic glare before she turned back around to prod Eren a bit more.

Levi sighed, wondering how Eren managed to put up with the eccentric girl's incessant poking and prodding and pulling. He glanced at Eren and smiled when he saw hazel eyes staring straight at him. "Levi," Eren stretched a hand out towards his brother, opening and closing his fist as he called out for his brother for the first time.

"Rats and I was hoping I would get him to say something intelligent, like 'onomatopoeia' for his first word!" Levi turned and looked at Zoe, "What the heck is onomatopoeia?" Irvin's eyes widened and his mouth dropped in horror, "Don't ask, don't ask, she'll be explaining for hours!"

Four hands instantly clamped themselves over Zoe's face, preventing the girl from launching into a three-hour explanation of the definition, usage, and origin of onomatopoeia.

Levi held Eren up, staring into the younger boy's eyes. "Eren," he said, his voice stern, "We do not pull on the cat's tail, okay?" The two boys stared at each other for several long moments, gray meeting hazel. Eren's eyes started to water and his lip trembled, "I'm sowwy Levi," he whimpered as he scrubbed at his eyes.

Levi dropped his head, why does he have to be so freaking cute? Levi sighed and hugged Eren, absently rubbing the little boy's head. "Be quite," he mumbled, "I'm not mad at you…" Eren wrapped his arms around Levi's neck and Levi could feel the other boy smile into his shoulder. This is going to be a challenge to say the least…

-Second Year-

When March 30th rolled around again Zoe had to be dissuaded from bringing trick candles to Eren's birthday. "You should have let me bring the trick candles," Zoe hissed softly as she passed Levi by at one point but she had disappeared before he could get in a swift flick or step on the foot. Eren tottered over to Levi, tugging on his new panda hat.

"Levi, Levi," he sang out with childish pronunciation, "Candle!" He thrust the blue-and-white striped candle up in the air, gripped between fingers dotted with icing. Levi plucked the candle out of Eren's grasp; thankfully the boy had blown it out before bringing it to him. They certainly didn't need Eren tripping with a lit candle in his hands. "Thank you Eren," he said, squatting down and ruffling Eren's hair. Eren beamed and dashed away again, disappearing within moments, hidden behind legs and objects.

Levi's parents sat him down in May in order to begin what they thought would be a long, difficult explanation, which they fully expected Levi to be upset over. "Levi… we've been meaning to tell you this for a while now…" His mother looked nervous as she spoke, her brown eyes looking anywhere but Levi. When she spoke again everything came out in a rush; she obviously wanted to get this over as quick as humanly possible.

"See, the thing is you are actually adopted. Your parents died in a car wreck two months after you were born and you were placed into our custody. We never told you because we weren't quite sure how you would take it." Levi nodded, "I know. We were talking about genetics a few weeks ago during some down time. I just compared our features."

Of course, I can't exactly tell them that I know because I've had visions of a past life. I'm just glad that we aren't actually siblings; that would have been cruel almost. His mother and father sat and stared at him for a few moments. "Oh…" his father said, "And you're fine with that?" Levi shrugged, "Does it really matter? You're wonderful parents and all I've ever known. Why would I be mad?" His parents breathed shared sighs of relief at that, having gone far better than planned.

Eren came crawling into Levi's bed one September night, tears streaming down his face. Levi rolled over sleepily as Eren shook his arm gently, hiccupping and sniffling the entire time. "Eren… what is it? It's two o'clock in the morning…" He felt Eren's little fists grip his arm; he couldn't see Eren as the younger boy couldn't reach the light switch yet and Levi couldn't exactly turn his lamp on while lying on his stomach with Eren clinging onto his arm.

"Levi's not dead?" Eren whimpered and Levi froze for a few moments. "Of course not," he said, hoping his voice didn't sound shaky to the other boy. "C'mere, you can sleep in here tonight." Eren needed no further encouragement to clamber up onto the bed and crawl under the covers, settling himself so that his face was buried into Levi's chest, tiny hands clutching his shirt. Levi wrapped one arm around Eren and sighed, rubbing the back of Eren's head absently.

Oh you have got to be kidding me. Why should he have to remember? Was sacrificing everything not enough?

-Third Year-

"Levi," Eren said, standing at the end of the hallway, watching as Levi pulled on his shoes, "I want to go to school with you." Levi looked back at him, an expression of amusement spread across his face. He stood and grabbed his satchel, pulling it over his head and letting it fall into its usual place. He crouched down in front of Eren, putting his hand on top of Eren's head.

"You'll go to school with me," he said, "Just not for a few months. You start in August so you've still got four months of freedom left. Enjoy it while you can kiddo." Eren folded his arms across his chest, glaring at Levi, "Take me with you!" Levi sighed in exasperation and stood. "Not today Eren," he said, "But I'll be back later today and maybe I can see if one of Oluo's brothers wants to come over and play sometime this week. He's got a brother who is your age."

Eren still looked a little mutinous but he huffed and turned around anyways, "See you when you get home brother," he grumbled. Levi smirked and rolled his eyes, "Bye Eren. Try not to cause too much grief now." Eren turned around and gave him a devious smile, "Always."

When the first day of school came around there were two new kids waiting at the bus stop along with Irvin and Zoe, neither of which included Eren, although both were his age. The girl had dark gray eyes and black hair cut just beneath her chin. The boy had blond hair in a bowl-shape cut and bright blue eyes; he also had a book clutched in his hands.

"This is my cousin Armin," Irvin said, gesturing to the blond boy, who waved and smiled shyly at Eren and Levi when they walked up. "Mikasa here just moved in two houses down about a week ago." Mikasa looked at both of them and offered a small wave. Eren stepped up and stuck his hand out, first to Mikasa and then to Armin. "My name is Eren!" He proclaimed with bright eyes and a broad smile. Zoe shot Levi an amused smirk at Levi before burying herself back into her book on the species of insects indigenous to England.

The seizures started in November of that year. The first occurred at home; Eren had been sitting on the floor, carefully printing his letters on a piece of wide-ruled paper, when he had suddenly keeled over and began to spasm, limbs flying everywhere and eyes rolling up into the back of his head. He spent night in the hospital, being released by mid-afternoon the next day after nearly twenty-four hours of careful observation and some blood work. The doctors said it could be a one-time thing or it could develop into epilepsy; only time would tell which it was.

Levi let Eren sleep in his bed that night, holding the boy close to his own body. I won't lose you again; Levi thought fiercely, not after I just got you back!

-Sixth Year-

It was cold in England in January of 2003; snow fell thick and ice kept cropping up on the roads. Snow plows were constantly on the move, spreading ice and shifting the snow so that cars could have a chance of getting to their destinations. Grisha had joked several times about breaking out his skies just so that he could get to work.

Eren lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The room was too hot despite the fact of that he fan was going full-force and that he had stripped down to a pair of shorts and thrown all of his covers off. He rolled onto his side, arm dangling over the side of the bed as blood, warm and sticky, slowly dripped from his fingers, falling to the floor without a pattern, splattering onto the cool stone tiles below. Eren jerked upright, too fast, and his head went spinning. He listed over to the side and fell out of the bed, his body hitting the hardwood floors, spasming before it had even settled.

Rain crashed down around them, the explosive claps of thunder drowning out all attempts of conversation. Lightning flashed outside, several times in rapid succession, a long roll of thunder accompanying it. Eren sighed and leaned his head against the cool stone walls, looking outside from his new room. There had been so much rain that the dungeons where he had slept had flooded, leaving them unusable till they could get the water out. Even Levi had deemed practice unsafe in this weather, instead leaving people to mill around aimlessly.

He couldn't help but smile at the thought of the man; even the memory the courthouse couldn't change that. Eren sighed and shook his head before he fell back on his bed to stare at the ceiling. There was a soft knocking at the door. "Come on in," Eren called over the crash of thunder, not bothering to look at who was entering. "Eren…

"Eren… Eren… Eren, open your eyes!" He opened his eyes to see Levi standing above him, his face a mask of panic unlike the one in his dream.

The seizures continued throughout January; some contained images, some didn't. Eren was put on epilepsy medication after the fifth episode within two weeks. Luckily he had managed to neither injure himself nor damage anything when spasming.

Eren poked his head into Levi's room, staring as his brother sat in his chair, legs pulled up, feet against the wall, and a textbook balanced on his knees. He was facing the wall so Eren had a clear view of his side, except for his face, which was concealed by his right hand. "Levi…" Eren called out softly. He waited for a few moments, "Levi…"

No reaction. Eren stepped into the room, mindful of the occasionally creaky boards. He poked his head in front of Levi and smiled; Levi was asleep, breathing evenly in and out. Eren slowly left the room, returning to his own room to snatch his soft, thick green blanket before returning. He draped it over Levi, mindful about not covering his face, although it was extremely tempting. There, Eren thought, now he can sleep properly! Well, more or less.

He turned, he watched, he shouldn't have. He should never have looked back; he should have kept going forwards, pretending he couldn't hear their shouts, their cries, their screams.

The dark-haired man had been the first to go, dangling upside down, a slash in his broken neck spilling blood down to the forest floor below. The blond man had leapt through the air, going to the giant's right side. It, no, she, had reared up towards him, moving quickly despite her injuries. Her teeth closed around the blond and crunched through his body before tossing the two halves down to the ground.

The giant stood and the orange-haired girl tried to maneuver out of the way; a foot smashed her into a tree and she slid down a few feet, a trail of blood following her down. The ashy-haired boy was the last, hit in the back and flung to the ground, dead before he even hit.

Eren buried his head in his hands, tears burning their way to the surface. Damn it, the thought resounded through his head, a silent scream. I don't want to remember. I don't, I don't, I don't Idon'tIdon'tIdon'tIdon't want to!

Hands found their way to his shoulders, shaking roughly, "Eren! Pull yourself together! Breaking down won't bring them back, it never does! Move forwards so that their deaths aren't in vain!" Eren clung to the body in front of him, breathing in the smell reminiscent of lavender. "Corporal…" he said, looking deep into the familiar gray eyes above him.

-Seventh Year-

The doorbell rang and Eren walked through the halls, beating Levi to the door by a step. He pulled the door open and couldn't help but blanch when he saw the visitors. Erd, Gunter, Oluo, and Petra were standing on the doorstep, smiling and laughing. "Hi guys," he said weakly, but thankfully they appeared not to notice. "Eren, you seem to get bigger every time I see you!" Petra shrieked, enveloping him in a lung-crushing hug.

"Petra… let go… can't breathe!" Petra let him go and grinned before ruffling his hair and flouncing through the house after her three companions. Eren looked up at Levi, whose gray eyes were fixed on him, blatantly worried. "Eren, are you alright?" Eren nodded and shut the door, keeping his eyes on the ground. He couldn't tell his brother that he had seen them die, time and time again, whether it was during a dream or during a seizure he relived those horrors, fresh and terrifying each and every time.

Moony died in August of that year. They had woken up to find her lying in her bed, her tail wrapped over her nose and closed eyes, her body stiff and cold. They buried her beneath the oak tree she used to clamber up and down, hunting for squirrels and birds that were stupid enough to venture far into her yard.

Eren sniffed quietly on his bed, rubbing his eyes furiously as tears kept falling. There was a knock at his door, "Eren… can I come in?" Eren didn't make a sound, instead opting to rub his eyes and face some more. Levi opened the door and shut it behind him with a quiet click. The mattress dipped beneath Eren and arms encircled him, pulling him close against Levi's body, warm and comforting in his distress.

Eren turned and buried his head into Levi's chest, gripping his brother's shirt, which quickly became damp with tears. Levi's hand stroked the back of Eren's head, gentle, rhythmic, and soothing. The tears came and went and Eren lapsed into a deep sleep, eyes heavy and emotionally and mentally fatigued.

"Levi, can you help me with my homework?" Levi turned back, pulling his jacket on and tucking his phone into his pocket. "Sorry Eren but I have to go do something real quick. I'll be back in about an hour, and then I'll help you." Eren cocked his head to the side, confusion running across his face, "Where are you going." Levi turned away so that Eren wouldn't see the sad look flash across his face for an instance. "Just out… I'll be back in a bit."

He grabbed his back, carefully swinging it onto his shoulder and opening the door, closing it firmly before he began the fifteen minute walk down to the graveyard. Ever since the Jaegers had told him about his biological parents he had taken to visiting them once a year; the tenth of December. The streets were quiet; few people felt like going outside with the weather so cold. His boots crunched against the snow-crusted sidewalks and Levi hummed softly, staring ahead without actually seeing.

He pushed the black metal gates open, shoving hard in order to get them to move despite the ice that had crusted the hinges. He walked down the paths, careful to not step in the grass. It had always felt like he was disrespecting the people buried below if he stepped on the earth that they were buried under.

The graveyard was always quiet at this time of year unless there was a funeral to be carried out; people placed their flowers and offerings before the weather turned most of the time. Levi stopped at the top of one of the small hills in the graveyard, looking down at the small pond in the dip below. Ice was stretching across it, forming a thin covering across the dark waters beneath. Levi turned away and continued to move till he stood in front of a tombstone that bore two names.

He crouched down on the ground, thankful that he had worn so many layers because he was certain that the stone path was freezing. He pulled his backpack off and unzipped it, extracting the wreath of white roses and orange poppies. He placed them on the grass in front of the marble stone. He inched forwards slowly until his gloved fingertips could touch the words and he mouthed them, speaking from memory. "'Notre promesse est notre lien…'"

A body sat down on the grass next to him and Levi glanced over, "Eren, I thought I told you that I would be back later." The boy looked at him, irritation and blatant defiance in his eyes. Eren snorted and looked at the marble tombstone, "Since when have I ever listened?" They sat in silence for several long moments before Eren spoke again. "So… why are you here?" Levi sighed and looked up at the sky; it was gray. It wouldn't be surprising if it started snowing before they left the graveyard.

"I'm visiting my parents…" Levi said quietly. He could see Eren's head jerk towards him out of his peripheral vision, but he continued to look at the mass of gray above. "No…" Eren said slowly, "We have the same parents… They're both alive too." Levi chuckled and shook his head, turning his head to look at Eren. "I was adopted after they died. We bear no blood relation." Eren's mouth dropped open in shock and he sat, staring at Levi for a long time.

"No… You've got to be lying…" Levi shrugged and moved to stand, "Ask Mom and Dad about it if you must. Now come on, we've got to get home before it starts to snow." A flake danced through the air in front of him as he held his hand out for Eren, smiling softly. "Come on," Levi said, "Surely it's not so bad. After all, this way is much better than how it was. How it could have been."

-Eighth Year-

Eren pulled the soft, fleecy gray scarf around his neck, breathing in the sweet scent of lavender and the sharper scent of lemons. He had 'borrowed' Levi's scarf for the time being and it smelled amazing. A strange combination, sure, but it was amazing nonetheless. Levi had noticed instantly but neither said anything about the scarf. I really hate school, Eren thought, disgust filling him at the sight of the bleak, depressing building that awaited his presence.

"Cheer up Eren!" Armin said, patting him on the shoulder, "Just think, one more year after this and we'll be in middle school!" Eren groaned, throwing his head back in mock horror, "That just means even more work!" Otto, Oluo's second brother, nodded in agreement, his ashy-blond hair flying in his eyes and across his face.

"Oskar complains about it all the time, especially when it comes to his science classes." A hand clamped down on Eren and Otto's heads, halting them both in their tracks. "Who complains about science classes?" Zoe stuck her head between the two boy's faces, both staring at the psychotic woman in confusion and slight terror.

"Hanji, stop freaking my brother and his friends out," Levi said, jerking Zoe back by the straps of her backpack. Despite the height difference of nearly ten centimeters in the pair's case, Levi could easily put Zoe flat on her back, something that Eren witnessed with startling regularity. That is, when Irvin wasn't around to break up Zoe and Levi's disputes.

Zoe huffed and rolled her eyes, "Fine, but I don't see why science should be so hard!" Levi flicked her on the forehead, "Not everyone dissects road kill and memorizes the science textbooks for fun you know."

Eren winced, remembering several occasions on which he had been over at Zoe's house with Levi and had unknowingly opened the freezer, only to find a frozen possum on the third shelf, along with a tray of medical instruments and organs on the shelf below. Eren fought to stop retching at the thought of it; the glassy eyes, the cut straight down the middle, the frozen blood that Zoe had failed to clean off… Eren blanched and turned away, his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

"We've got five minutes till the bell rings," Zoe said, "Might as well start heading to class." Eren sighed and turned towards class, already for the day to be over with. A hand found its way to his shoulder and he stopped, turning his head back. "See you later Eren," Levi said, ruffling his hair for a moment before he set off on the path towards the high school, which had been built as a completely separate complex apart from the elementary and middle school. Eren smiled and turned back around, rejoining the conversation that Armin and Otto had begun while he was distracted.

Math is such a pain, Eren groaned internally, dropping the pencil onto his comforter and leaning back on his bed, staring up at the white ceiling. I'm never going to remember all of this crap. He sat back up and stared at the paper, gaze unfocused and inattentive. Something red splashed down onto the paper, smattering across the white and staining it.

Another droplet fell and Eren looked up his head spinning. There was nothing above him. He ran his hand across his upper lip and pulled it away, covered in blood, with steam slowly curling off of his fingers and the swords grasped in his hands. What was it Levi had said? Oh, right, reverse the grip on the blades so that the strain on your wrists is lessened. Eren looked up, glaring at the Titans that strode freely through the streets of Wall Maria.I'll kill you all! He vowed, the thoughts screaming through his mind. Every last one of you!

His senses returned slowly, the scent of blood and dust fading to the scent of blood and lavender and the sounds of screams and whirring mechanisms were replaced by a voice. Ere opened his eyes and grabbed the hand clutching his shoulders. Levi had him pinned to the ground, hands pressed against his shoulders and his knee on Eren's stomach.

"Are you okay now?" Levi said, slowly easing the pressure and leaning back until he was simply straddling Eren's hips. Eren propped himself up slowly, wiping at his still bleeding nose. "Yeah… I think I am…" Levi sighed in relief and raised a hand to his head, murmuring to himself so quietly that Eren had to strain to make out the words that barely formed on Levi's lips. "Why does he have to remember too…?"

-Tenth Year-

Eren let his head hit his desk, groaning in irritation, "Why is the last day of school always so freaking long?!" Armin smiled and tapped his desk as his eyes scanned the pages of his National Geographic magazine, eyes bright with excitement as he read about one new and intriguing thing after another. "Maybe because they want to torture us, but either way we'll be back here in a few months." Eren groaned again and dropped his head back on his desk with another solid thump.

"Don't remind me…" he muttered resentfully, "College is probably gonna be easy for Levi though. I hear that the classes aren't everyday depending on which class it is." Armin shook his head and laughed, "Irvin's told me it's not quite as easy as some might think, but it's also not impossible. You just have to get ahead and stay ahead." Eren snorted, "Levi's smart. He'll be fine, I'm sure of it." Armin shook his head, a smile on his face. He flipped another page in the magazine and stayed silent for a few moments before commenting again. "You don't have to worry about him so much. Besides," he said, cutting Eren off before the brown-haired boy could interject.

"Your brother is going to be what, an hour away? So don't worry, you'll see him all the time." Eren glowered at the boy, "Who said anything about missing him?" Armin laughed and let the magazine fall shut, looking at Eren for the first time in several minutes. "It's written all over your face. You're an open book Eren; anyone can read you."

The day school let out Eren had gone to Levi and begged for him to take them both to the beach, three hours away. His exact words had been, "Come on Levi, I wanna go somewhere with you before you go to college! I wanna go somewhere, just the two of us! Let's go to the beach!" And so, a week after school let out, they packed up and drove three hours to part of the English coastline. Eren leapt out of the car and moved to make a dash to the empty beach, already reaching to pull his shirt off. Levi grabbed his collar and held him in place.

"Eren, unpack first, sunscreen second, and then you can get in the water." Eren frowned but helped anyways, carrying a chair and an umbrella to a spot relatively close to the water. After being liberally coated with sunscreen Levi set him free. Eren ran with a whoop into the water, laughing and shouting in delight at the water, a cool and salty contrast to the warm and humid day.

Eren splashed about, occasionally going under the waves to rummage through the sand for shells or any lurking crustaceans. He emerged an hour later, breathless and dripping, water rolling off in rivulets. "Levi, why don't you get in too?"

Levi wrinkled his nose and closed his book, looking up at Eren through the lens of his sunglasses. "… I'm not really much of a beach person." Eren put his hands on his hips and snorted, "Have you ever even been to a beach?" Levi stared at him, or at least Eren assumed that he did; he couldn't really see his eyes behind the shades.

"I thought so. Now put some sunscreen on and come on!" Levi sighed and stood, peeling off his shirt, removing his sunglasses, and pulling the sunscreen back out, coating them both before he allowed Eren to drag him out from under the shade of the umbrella. Finally, Eren thought, I finally get to see new things with him!

Eren bit down on his hand, tearing through the flesh, blood filling his mouth before his body erupted, expanding in every direction. The transformation was painful, it always was. It felt like he was being pulled apart and stretched till he couldn't seem to stretch anymore and then he stretched even more. He tilted his head back and opened his mouth, a roar tearing from his throat as steam curled from his body.

Six other Titan-shifters surrounded him; two were of the 15 meter class, one was a meager 7 meter, while the other three fell somewhere between. Eren turned to his side, raising his fists and cocking his head so that he could keep all of them inside of his vision. Something landed in a tree off to the left; something small, with green flapping around tan and white colors. I'm guessing he heard us then… Eren thought, his human face attempting to twist in a grimace and a smile at the same time. He jerked his mind back to the battle at hand when the 7 meter shifter lunged forwards, moving swiftly along the forest floor.

Eren swooped downwards, his jaws gaping and arms outstretched as he scooped the shifter up and turned so that he could face the others. He lowered his mouth to the shifter's neck and sank his teeth in, his eyes trained on the other shifters as he ripped the shifter out of his Titan form, tuning out the scream of agony coming from both the human and the Titan. His teeth slammed together around the body, severing the spinal cord and leaving the boy to bleed out; such a wound took time to heal and by the time it did the shifter would be long dead.

The sound of 3-D Maneuvering Gear made him turn his head and he watched as Levi shot through the air, hanging suspended for a moment before a hand smashed into him, knocking him into a tree. Eren turned and lunged for the offending Titan-shifter, his hand going clear through the head, leaving a gaping hole where its nose should have been. Eren roared, steam curling off of his hand as he swung his leg up, catching the shifter in the side and knocking it down to the ground.

He leapt through the air, slamming down on its neck and stomping, grinding his heel down in the spot where the shifter was still located, unable to escape from the fleshy prison that he or she had created. Teeth sank into his shoulder, into his side, and fists slammed into his side and back but Eren paid no mind. Nothing could hurt him through the veil of red-hot fury pulsing through him. He swung around, his whole fist flying through the air and slamming into the side of another shifter's head.

A spasm of pain flashed its way through his human body. He was tired; too many transformations too close together. He shouldn't have transformed for the fourth time; that had been a mistake. He didn't have enough stamina for five transformations within a twenty-four hour period, not yet.

Another shifter fell; its neck crushed flat, steam curling off of its decaying body. He dug his fingers into one of the 15 meter shifters, ripping at the nape of the neck and tearing the shifter from her position. He clenched his fist around her, blood leaking through his fingers. He let the body fall to the ground as another wave of pain rushed through his human body, forcing his eyes open for a moment before he let himself sink back into being a Titan. Another shifter died as Eren smashed the neck inwards, sending the body flying back and slamming into the last remaining shifter.

Levi… Eren pulled himself from the nape of the Titan's neck, his body trembling with exhaustion and his vision doubling for a moment. It's too much, too much… Just a little more time… all I need is a few more minutes… He activated the 3-D Maneuvering Gear and shot up to the tree, his knees slamming into the branch before he hauled himself up, crawling towards Levi's crumpled body. His hand groped the air for Levi's shoulder, his vision sliding in and out of focus.

He finally connected and held on for dear life, shaking Levi as hard as he dared. Don't be dead Levi… Don't be dead… You can't die, not you. What would I have to live for if you're dead? Levi's eyes flickered open, unfocused for a moment before clearing and focusing on Eren. Their eyes locked and relief pulsed through Eren as he fought not to sway right off of the branch.

The last shifter roared behind them, heavy footsteps pounding the earth as it charged. Eren spun and his vision spun as he leapt through the air, his bloody hand already moving towards his mouth. Shouldn't those be healing…? The thought absently ran through his head as his body expanded till he stood in his Titan form, unsteady and exhausted. He raised his hands in front of him, attempting to shift back into his fighting stance.

The Titan-shifter rammed into him and he hit the tree, sliding down and lying there as the shifter reared back and slammed its fists into him, tearing through his body. Steam curled up around him but Eren couldn't find the strength to fight back or rise from the nape of the neck. Corporal… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you in the end… he stretched his hand up, reaching through the neck of his Titan form as darkness threatened to swamp him.

His heart pounded painfully in his chest as he pushed his way through, clumsily emerging and falling down the side of the steaming body as his own convulsed for the last time.

Eren watched as Levi slowly loaded up his car, fighting to keep tears of frustration back. Don't go, he thought, there's so much I don't understand! He wanted to pull Levi aside and ask him so many questions; what were Titans; why did he see Petra, Oluo, Erd, and Gunter die; why did he watch his own death?

His mother and father were inside, their excuse being that they had to go get something. Eren knew that it was more because his mother couldn't hold herself together much longer; she wanted to stay strong for Levi but that was a little hard considering the tears that kept leaking down her face. Eren walked a little closer to Levi's car, watching as Levi slid the last suitcase into the trunk. He turned back to Eren.

"Well Eren," Levi said softly, looking melancholy, "I suppose I'll see you in a week or two, once I get everything settled in at the dorm…" Eren nodded, biting his lip in an effort to both keep from speaking and crying. Levi sighed and raised a hand to his head, looking like he was going to say something before he spun around and grabbed the car door.

"Corporal," it only took one word for Levi to freeze in place, like someone had taken a remote and hit the 'pause' button of their life. Levi slowly turned around, an agonizingly hopeful look on his face, "Eren…?" Eren smiled and looked up at Levi, hazel eyes meeting gray. "I remember." Levi wrapped Eren in a bone-shattering hug. "God, I thought you wouldn't…" his voice was soft, no more than a murmur in his ear. He let Eren move back an inch or two.

"I never told you enough last time but this time I'll tell you every second I can because I love you too damn much to let that happen again." Eren grinned and put a hand on Levi's shoulder, "It won't, so just wait for a little longer."

"Always."

THE END

Guys, I am happy and sad to say that this is the end of Together Again! It's been a good run and I have had so much fun writing this that I cannot wait to begin the chapter to my next story!

This chapter is a bit (heheh more than an bit) longer than the other ones but I hope you didn't mind. I'm sorry that I was a tad late in uploading this but softball this weekend ran on longer than planned and I've had a bitch of a cold today so I'm really lethargic (I'm about to pass out at my desk XD).

I'd thank each and every reviewer and follower but that would take a while and I still need to divide the paragraphs. So thank you all for reading this story! I hope that you all live long and prosper (insert Vulcan gesture)!

I also had to go back and insert line breaks because I thought that the little hyphen marks I had inserted to separate different occurrences within each year would remain. They did not. Now you can actually tell when the scene changes. Hooray~