Everything was pearly white, an offsetting kind of white. It was happening all over again. Eren saw the ugly Titan grab his mother and close its jaws around her helpless body. Her blood poured onto the ground. The Titan's eyes held its own kind of satisfaction. "No! Mom! Nooooo! I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you bastards! I fucking swear it!"

"Swear it to me." Eren heard Corporal Levi's voice but he did not see him. Everything was blank. No more Titans or Mikasa or Armin. No one stood with him in this emptiness. He couldn't decide whether he preferred the utter darkness or whiteness. All was still except for Levi's voice. How strange. What did he mean by swear to him?

"I-I swear it to myself and to everyone! I will destroy them for doing this to us! " Eren was shouting to the vast nothingness.

"Eren, look at me."

But where are you, Corporal?

"Eren."

Keep calling my name. I'll follow it out of this place. Never stop. It's the only thing I have here.

At once, his vision went black and the nothingness turned into gathering consciousness. Eren opened his eyes and realized that his leg was throbbing. Levi was standing above him with tired, steel-colored eyes. So that's what the center of the earth looked like…

"I'm awake already! You didn't have to kick me!" Eren comforted his leg with his hand.

"I was calling you and you still weren't up," Corporal said. "Now get dressed. It's dawn and we have to get to Wall Sina. It might take a couple days. You know what that means?"

Agh, that was a long time on horseback. "Sore asses?"

"We'll be in an open area for extended periods of time. We're going to meet up with some other soldiers who'll help escort us back in case of Titans," Levi explained frustratingly, as if a baby could have answered it.

Eren was probably the stupidest soldier in Levi's eyes. He had hoped this ridiculous abuse would stop over time. He didn't know how long he could constantly be cursed at and kicked before blowing up. It's true he liked Corporal but he didn't think he deserved this.

Levi had left Eren to get dressed and gear up. It was still dark outside. As the sun rose, blue would engulf the stars and the moon would fade against the gold. If only there was more time to enjoy natural things like this… Eren yearned to watch the sun rise and set in other places in the world, places without giant walls, places without fear. Then he could soak up the world's innumerable wonders.

Corporal Levi was already saddled and on his horse when Eren stepped outside. "It'll be hard to ride when it's still dark but the sun should be rising soon."

Hanji was gathering the remainder of her notes and utensils into a backpack. When she exit the cabin she locked the door behind her and shoved the key into one of the bag's small pockets. "Alright that should be it," she adjusted her spectacles and began saddling her horse as it lazily munched on tufts of grass.

"Where are we meeting the other soldiers? Are they our squad?"

"No," Levi responded, watching Eren closely.

It was a little embarrassing that he had been talking in his sleep in front of Corporal again. He hoped his face wasn't showing it. Instead of thinking about the corporal watching over him at night, he decided to think about the court hearing. Who were the soldiers they were meeting? Was the rest of Levi's squad safe? What could he do or say, if anything, to be able to remain a soldier? Corporal was an asshole but he'd rather have him as his supervisor than locked in a cell under the earth.

"Um…What should I do about the hearing?"

"Relax, Eren." Hanji spurred her horse forward so the three of them were in line. "Leave it to us."

"Just shut up and let us do the talking," Corporal said. "Or are you gonna pull another 'lay your burdens on me' shit like last time?"

Why that—Eren wanted to make a nasty retort but, given his current relationship with the man, he thought better of it. "I was serious about that."

"Eren, you do carry a lot on your shoulders," Hanji attempted to defend him. "But you're only human. Maybe you shouldn't have everyone depending on you. You're going to be their first target whenever things fail."

"Then I guess I just won't fail," he responded with a smirk. Only human, huh?

"Ah, well if it isn't the high and mighty Jaeger," came Corporal's mocking voice. God, was waking up early making him this cranky? "It's the savior of the people, so perfect and handsome and brave." Eren saw Levi's eyes slide over to search for a reaction.

"That's not what I meant!" Handsome. He called me handsome. I know he's joking but. Agh, why am I taking that as a compliment?

"Let's put all our burdens on him," the corporal continued. Eren had never seen him so obnoxious. "Oh my god, I want my daughter to marry him, what a perfect soldier. Let's ignore all the other peoples' efforts in saving us. Please marry my sweet daughter. I know she's only twelve but—"

"You know I'm just asking for people's trust! I don't want to be seen as a monster and I don't want to be caged, damn it. You make me sound like an idiot!"

"Imagine that."

I ought to punch adults like him…Eren's grip on the reigns tightened. Cool down. I gotta cool down. There's no use getting angry. I have better things to worry about. But he called me handsome. Wait, why am I thinking about that again?

"It's not smart to ask people to just trust you like that, especially when they know you're a Titan mutant with next to no control over yourself," Corporal seemed to have calmed down as Hanji stifled a snicker.

"Well what would you have said? What are you going to say to defend me?"

"Like I said, Erwin will handle it."

"But what if it comes down to you? What if the judges ask you directly?" Eren felt a knot in his throat. What did Corporal think of him? Hadn't he earned his superior's trust and admiration? Last night, he squeezed Eren's shoulder, as if he was being reassuring. No, that probably meant nothing. Maybe there had been a bug there and Corporal had killed it…or something. They had a straight cut relationship of corporal and squad member. Nothing more… Ah, that was a bit sad for some reason.

"Then I'll give them my honest opinion."

"Which is?"

"None of your business."

Oh come on!

"Eren I'll make sure to put in a few words of my own," Hanji offered. "But we also need to plan our actions if they decide to incarcerate you."

"Or kill him if they find him to be too much of a threat," Corporal added.

"He's too good of a subject to waste," she shook her head. "There are things we can learn about the Titans through him that we couldn't with a normal Titan."

"Normal Titan," Levi frowned. Eren saw Levi share a quick look with Hanji.

"Right. Well my theory from before is just that: a theory. There isn't enough evidence to prove anything. It's another reason why Eren is so valuable, scientifically speaking."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing you need to know about," Corporal replied easily.

Hanji gave Corporal a look but he ignored it.

"What's wrong, Hanji? What theory?"

Corporal Levi's scowl remained void of information as Hanji's expression was worrisome. Before she could explain, they saw several lights not too far away. There were lamps like the ones they had strapped onto their horses. The circles of yellow light drew closer and Eren could now see that there were six other soldiers riding horseback. "The escort."

"Corporal Levi," one of the soldiers saluted once both crews were together.

"Is this everyone?" Corporal eyed the group.

"Yes. We couldn't spare too much expense," the man's eyes indicated Eren.

"It'll do," Corporal didn't argue. "Let's head north by the road. It'll be a clearer path. Which way did you come from?"

"We came around from the East, using the Wall as our guide, but North should be fine. I'm thinking maybe a two or three days' ride from here…Where will we be stopping?"

"Anywhere but the open if we can help it. Do your men need a rest before we set off?"

"I don't think so. They're capable."

"Right, then let's get going. I want this over and done with already," Corporal made an irritated clicking noise with his tongue before digging his heels into the horse. It gave a startled cry and took the lead, galloping in front of their small, makeshift squad.

Beyond the horizon, the sky was beginning to lighten up. What was navy was turning lighter and the first hints of the sun rays peeked over the tree tops. Surely it would warm up their travels despite the colder weather around this season. Everyone was quiet as they travelled. Their escort was made up of adults and Eren didn't recognize any of them. He was sure they were formidable at Titan combat, though, else they would not have been sent in the first place.

Corporal Levi had said some harsh, annoying things before and though it was not out of his character, he was talking to Eren more. It was difficult to tell. The Corporal wasn't necessarily mysterious in an attractive sort of way but his silence often made Eren wonder what lay beneath. The black mop at the top of Corporal's head flopped up and down as he rode. Eren's eyes soaked up the man's short but stiff stature and wondered what it would feel like if Levi's hand had touched his face instead of shoulder. The ride must be making him delusional. Eren tried to shake off the longing but as he struggled to avert his eyes, his heart trembled at the thoughts.

xxx

Note: Sorry for such a long wait and for such a short chapter! I know nothing interesting is happening, Titan-wise nor romance-wise. I'm not quite sure where to take it from here to be honest. Please leave any suggestions of what you'd like to see happen along with any further critique. Thanks for faithfully staying with me on this rather mundane fanfiction! :D