Mikasa tried desperately to grab onto something: a pipe, a ledge, the rooftop, anything! She saw her chance as an open window ledge came into view. Just before her fingers could grasp it, her back hit a slanted surface. The impact made her drop her sword, and she rolled off the lower roof onto the ground. She didn't try to get back up; she chose to just lay there, staring at the blank blue sky. Mikasa saw a light hit her eye, and found her sword just within arm's reach.

I have to get up, I have to fight. I need to get back to Eren.

She slowly lifted up her right hand to pick up her sword, stopping when she saw it was covered in blood.

Huh? When did that happen?

She brought her hand closer to her face for inspection, turning it at certain angles to see where the blood was flowing from. The side of her palm was split open.

That sound I heard just before I crashed…

She sat up looking at her maneuver gear. The blade sheath on her right had a dent where her hand had been, just missing the gas canister.

Was that a bullet? They're using guns with the 3-D Maneuver Gear? But why? Guns are useless against titans…but against humans…

Mikasa jumped up immediately, ignoring the pain in her hand.

"Ackerman! We heard gunfire, what's going on?"

She turned to find three members of the Survey Corps, whom she had previously met whilst Captain Levi went to talk with Commander Erwin Smith.

"Where's Captain Levi and…what happened to your hand? You should get that looked at," another one spoke, both concerned and confused.

"I'm fine. Captain Levi and I were being pursued. We tried to lose them, but I lost control. They went that way," Mikasa said as she pointed behind her to where she was last headed before she crashed onto the roof. "Let's go."

Without a second to waste all four of them took off into the air, spacing out and trying to find Levi before anything happened. With the morning wind flowing through her hair, their forest green cloaks billowing behind them, they climbed higher and faster, aiming for the tallest structures within their reach and attaining a bird's eye view of Stohess. The renovation of the city was well underway, however, the damage that Annie and Eren caused was major. The church was one of the first to be rebuilt after it was crushed by the female titan, with many people still inside at the time. There was a clear line of destruction through the city, starting from the outer wall all the way toward the inner wall. Debris and broken roof tiles covered the ground, and a sheet was placed carefully over a part of the wall. It was only now that Mikasa realized the full scale of the damage.

A flash of green shot up ahead towards the outer wall of Wall Rose with flashes of light coming from behind, the gunshots resounding. Captain Levi dodged each bullet with ease, and, spotting a nearby tavern, crash-landed inside - much to the surprise of onlookers. Before the three pursuers could follow, Mikasa and the rest intercepted them, knocking them unconscious with a melee attack.

"I don't think they'll be chasing anyone for a while."

"But what were they doing with this type of equipment?"

"I don't know but we should let the commander know about all of this, don't you think?"

Mikasa stayed quiet whilst the three carried on with their discussion, looking at her hand that was now coated in blood. She tried making a fist, but it hurt. Even though a lot of the blood was now dry, more seeped through.

Just as the three were about to make their way back, cacophonous[1] sounds came from the tavern in which Levi was in. There were sounds of people screaming, objects breaking, and was that more gunfire? Unsheathing her sword, Mikasa jumped off the rooftop they were standing on and landed on her feet, running towards the tavern. She slowed down near the entrance, observing the scene. Captain Levi couldn't be seen, whilst others were hiding under tables or huddled in corners - men protecting women and some even using others as shields whilst they cowered behind them. But, amongst all the commotion, one man stood, all of this caused by his hubris[2] nature. He stood with two hand guns drawn, carrying a shotgun on his back, wearing a black bowler hat with a white band that covered his dark hair, and sporting a large overcoat that went past his knees.

"I found you. Mr. Military police has come to get rid of all the bad guys!" he sneered.

Though she couldn't see him, she knew Levi was hiding behind the bar - judging by the way the man spoke towards that direction and how the trembling bartender kept looking down next to him every time he spoke.

"Come out or this man gets a hole through his head!"

He aimed one of his handguns at the frightened bartender, who held his hands up over his head to show he was no threat, but he was slowly shrinking from fear of losing his life. The man positioned his finger on the trigger and began to pull.

Mikasa grew tired of watching, and with her sword, launched at the man from behind, hacking at his hand just as the bullet was released. The bullet launched straight toward the bartender, entering the wall just millimetres away from his head. The bartender clutched his chest and let out a sigh of relief as he dropped to the floor.

"Huh? What's this?"

Gripping his hand, the gun now on the floor, he had somehow ended up under the mercy of Mikasa's blade. She positioned it at the base of his neck, her face showing neither remorse nor satisfaction; his expression was just as unreadable.

Mikasa didn't want to kill him, she didn't want to kill anybody. She was trained to kill titans, to protect Eren and stay by his side and she wanted nothing more in that moment to be back with him now but she couldn't. She couldn't because she was here. She watched him as his lips turned into a smile and he lifted his blood-stained hands, his wounded hand on her sword wielding arm and with the other, he gently held her face, looking intently into her eyes.

"I know you..." he rasped, holding her tighter and pushing his bloody thumb over the scar under her eye.

She could feel her heartbeat rising, hammering faster and faster. Not quite sure what was happening, Mikasa pushed the man off of her and repositioned her sword again.

"Who are you?" she demanded, pushing her blade deeper into his neck.

The man didn't flinch or show any signs of fear, instead he just laughed. His laugh was so menacing and unexpected from a situation like this, she didn't know what to think of it.

He's laughing? Even though I could easily kill him, this bastard is laughing?

Mikasa had become irritated by his antics. She raised her sword higher, ready to strike when he spoke again.

"Levi, you haven't told her have you?"

He looked over at the bar again, a smirk looming on his lips. Mikasa was becoming impatient, she pulled his body forward and slammed his back into a wall behind them, her eyes narrowed with frustration.

"TELL ME WHAT?"

Her voice was louder this time and more demanding.

What the hell is he talking about and what does Levi have to do with this? I could kill him and get this over with but something's stopping me, what?

"I'll say it again, slower. Tell. Me. What?" she asked him again, making herself clearer.

The more she looked at his smug face the more she was getting angrier and she didn't know why. She was normally so calm and collected and she was so sure that she doesn't know him from anywhere. She had never even seen him before, so why was her mind so conflicted. He looked middle-aged, and the wrinkles around his eyes were prominent. Beneath his undercoat he wore a white shirt and a black tie that wasn't done all the way up.

"Well I guess I could tell you, before I kill you both," he finally spoke, gently pushing Mikasa's blade away from his neck.

Mikasa stepped away to the side but still kept her guard up, she wasn't dying today, not by his hands.

"The truth is, I knew your parents and they knew me as 'Kenny the Ripper,'" He told her coolly.

Mikasa froze where she stood. Memories of her mother and father flooded her head and it started to hurt: Her father falling to the floor by the front door, her mother running towards her attacker.

"Mikasa run!" she had told her, but she couldn't.

Run to where? I have nowhere else to go to.

Her mother's desperate screams filled her ears.

RUN! MIKASA RUN!

But she couldn't move a muscle. Even when he aimed his gun at her head and she was staring down the barrel of his shot gun, she couldn't move.

I can't.

"MIKASA RUN!"

She could hear Levi shouting at her from behind the bar, just as much as she heard him load his gun not a second before.

"I knew them, because I-"

BANG! The sound echoed through her head just before she dropped to her knees.

What was that last part of his sentence? I can't remember.

Levi jumped over the counter with the bartenders shotgun and shot towards the man again as he ran towards Mikasa, picking her up off the floor and taking her towards the exit into the open air. The other three Survey Members reappeared, but this time with backup. They began to fight off the three chasers from before as Levi shot up onto a nearby roof.

"Mikasa I need you to follow me again. Can you stand?" he asked her with a sense of urgency.

Mikasa gave a small nod.

"Yeah"

She stood and tailed Levi once again as they flew towards Wall Rose. She could still hear the Military firing at the Survey Corps, though it was getting distant each time. One of them was reportedly shot dead just as they reached the wall. After a while, they had gained some space between them and went off into a nearby forest to take cover for a while.

She zoomed through the dark forest, seemingly without any effort. Levi was just a few inches ahead of her, and neither spoke a word. The rest of the Survey Corps were somewhere behind them, trying to play catch-up, but all Mikasa could think about was what had just happened. Anger and deceit pulsed through her; she had enough. As they got closer to the ground, she locked on to her target. Using all her force and with what little gas she had left, smashed into him at full force, causing them both to veer off course and crash into a nearby tree.

"What the fuck Mikasa?!" Levi yelled, holding his head as he tried to get up.

Mikasa was crouched in front of him, glaring.

He's hiding something. I know it! But why?! And more importantly what?!

Before Levi could stand properly and process what was happening, Mikasa took out one of her blades in a flash. With her free arm across his neck, she pushed him back against the large tree behind him, holding the tip of the blade at the side of his neck.

"Tell me what you know!" she demanded, steadying her voice, trying not to let her anger get the better of her. After a long few seconds Levi understood what she meant and nodded slightly.

"Mikasa..." he sighed. "I don't know if you know this but…my name…is Levi Ackerman."