LLL- Everyone knows that this is more of a dialogue focused story by now, right?

Levi- Could you quit pointing out the obvious.

LLL- I'm just staying. BTW, that "extra chapter" is in "painful connection" and "pain in love" storied in my profile again. I can't really apologize about my late updates. It's college time people. I have orientations and I'm out of town for weeks at a time. Not to mention I went to my first kpop concert...

Levi- Okay no one cares about your damn personal life. You don't own SNK/AOT so it doesn't matter.

LLL- Senpai you so cruel.

Levi doesn't take her warning seriously. He simply looks to the side. "You abandoned your post as a scouting legion soldier. Why?"

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

"And did you not hear me?" He pulls out a small blade. The metal shines cooly and she can see her reflection in the metal. "I'm asking the questions and I can make this move along a lot smoother if you'd like."

"I'll just heal. I'm a titan, remember?" Ymir had never really felt threatened by Levi. His authority over her had only been a nuisance.

"That doesn't mean you don't feel pain. I'll be sure to put your through so much pain that you'll stop healing."

"He's not lying, you know," Annie mumbles next to her. The two both wear similar chains designed by Armin in order to keep them from changing. Ymir's are a tad bit different because she lacked arms last night when they brought her in last night. They have grown back in full now but are restrained. Ymir sees that the blonde titan is looking quite rough. She has scratches all over her face and her skin is bruised purple. Her blue eyes are sunken in with black rings around them and she is noticeably thin from starvation. It's clear that she just barely clings to life. She then turns to look at Levi. "Why don't you just kill me?" Eren walks into the room just as Annie speaks these breathless words. No one notices his presence but Ymir. He doesn't put in effort to make himself known either.

"And give you the luxury of death? You deserve to suffer," Levi grunts, bending to one knee to be face to face with her.

"Oh," Annie laughs weakly. "Well then I'm glad I was to able give Petra such a luxury." Levi lunges at her with a roar that fills the cave. His hand wraps tightly around her frail neck, cutting off all air.

"You bitch! She was nothing like you! She wasn't a titan monster! She died valiantly and you know when you killed her, you killed me along with any piece of mercy!" Levi raises his hand, ready to send the silver blade straight through her chest. Just as he is about to follow through a hand grabs hold of his wrist. His head turns only for his fire filled eyes to catch sight of Eren. It isn't until he sees Eren that he realizes how hard he's breathing. Levi's breaths travel through the cave as he stares up at Eren, towering over him.

"You can't kill her. Not now. Get yourself together Lance."

Levi notices that the scene makes him appear vulnerable. He is on his knees screaming out worthless emotions and weaknesses to the enemy. He furrows his eyebrows in disappointment, removing his hand from around Annie's neck. She coughs out, desperate for oxygen. The captain brushes the dirt off of his knees before standing, still being a little shorter than Eren. "How are you feeling?" He asks Eren as if nothing has happened.

"I'm fine,' he mumbles, still not looking in Levi's eyes.

Levi grabs his chin and forcefully turns his face so that there is no way he can look away. "How are you feeling?" He repeats.

"I said I'm fine." Levi stares into his deep green eyes, looking for a more elaborate answer. Eren says nothing. Echoing footsteps are heard entering the prison and everyone turns to look this time. Erwin enters just barely. He stands on the top steps and sees the way Levi is holding Eren's face. He raises an eyebrow, nothing out of the normal. Mikasa's face turns red but she tries to keep her breath steady and any other outside feature non-obvious.

"Mikasa, Levi, I need you two to come with me. We need to start going over plans for further trips outside of the wall. Now. We've been wasting too much times as it is."

Levi releases Eren and walks towards Erwin. "Ok. I agree."

Mikasa walks towards them and Erwin notices that she, how to say it, is walking crooked? "Mikasa, are you ok?"

"I'm fine!" She blurts. Although this is loud, no one is surprised by it. Mikasa's voice is always this alarming. "Now lets go."

The three walk out, leaving Eren. "Since when did Mikasa become one of the leaders?" Ymir grunts. Eren doesn't answer, somewhat still mentally bothered by Levi. Eren walks over to Ymir and looks down at her. "What?" She grunts.

"Nothing. Just thought I'd apologize in advance." He swings his arm forcefully, ramming his elbow into the top of her skull, knocking her out. "I changed my mind." He then looks at Annie and she rolls her eyes away from him. Slowly, he walks in front of her and sits down, cross legged.

"What'd you do that for?" She asks.

"I wanted to talk to you alone," he says gently.

"Oh." Still, she doesn't make any eye contact with him. The cave, as usual, is dimly lit with a single torch and cool with a slight draft.

"So... How have you been."

This time she looks up at him with a glare. "I'm dandy."

He smiles and looks down. "Ok, yeah. Bad question."

Her heart leaps at his smile and the way his green eyes look to the side. Just the way it used to. She calms her emotions and furrows her eyebrows. "What the hell do you want?"

His smile disappears and he looks at her in her eyes. He squints his own, as if trying to read small words written across her face. "Why did you do it?"

"I'm not answering that. You guys have been asking me this same stupid question..."

"You killed them. You killed our friends."

"The people in the scouting legion were never my friends. I never even knew them."

"They were MY friends. They were Levi's family."

"Again. I don't care."

Eren sighs putting his head in his hand. "Do you like killing?"

"Do you?" she retorts. "You've killed men. How is it, Eren? Do you think being a titan makes it feel any different?"

"I do it to protect myself. Self defense."

Annie leaps up, the chains yanking her. "Look at me! You don't think I was defending myself? They kill titans no matter what! They don't take the time to listen. I don't understand how you even managed it. I wish I were there to see."

Eren thinks back to his own revelation. If it weren't for Commander Pixis, he'd be dead, no doubt. "It was luck."

"Well I've never been too good with that." He studies her weak appearance and rubs her face. His fingers trail the scarred, course skin gently. He smiles again. "What are you doing?"

"You know... I couldn't come to kill you when the moment arrived. When I saw you in the neck of that titan, I froze..."

"I did the same with Armin... I couldn't kill him when I probably should have."

"I stayed in here, so many days waiting for you to unfreeze and wake up."

"If I had killed him I probably wouldn't be in this situation right now." The two simply revel on the past.

"But would you be able to live with the guilt of knowing that you ended the life of a close friend?" Eren challenges, looking into her eyes.

"He's still alive, isn't he." There is a brief silence. "Why were you waiting for me to wake up."

"Because I couldn't believe. From the moment you turned into a titan to the moment we put you in this prison and any time after that, I just couldn't believe it. I needed an answer. I needed to know why because I know you have a reason. I knew you'd have a good reason." Ere puts both hands on her her cheeks cupping her sunken face. "Why, Annie? Tell me why!"

"Would you believe me if I told you I was trying to protect you?"

"No. I can protect myself." Eren is as prideful as always, not understanding why everyone feels as if he needs to be protected.

"No you can't, you idiot. You don't know what you should be running from."

"Then tell me."

"I can't." She hisses. A tear falls down her cheek. "There's so much going on that you don't understand. So much that you don't know and I can't simply tell you."

"Dammit Annie. Why not."

"Because knowledge can kill. And you can't die yet. You just can't!" She is clearly too weak to scream. "This is pitiful, such a weak state. My father would be disappointed."

"You've lasted this long. I see it as strength."

"No.. The titan inside of me is trying to heal. Eren, Levi tortured me. You don't understand how painful it is. I'm not lasting. I'm suffering."

"How can I help?" Eren asks.

Her eyes widen as she looks at him. The atmosphere between the two is thick. "What?"

"I want to help you. Just tell me before I change my mind."

Annie looks off to the side. "I was wrong. You're the weak one."

"Have you ever figured you confuse weakness with strength. The same way you do right and wrong. Tell me. How can I help?"

Annie smiles slightly, somewhat relieved. "Kill me."

Eren's eyes widen and he crawls backwards. "What?!"

"Kill me! I can't take it anymore. The physical torture. The mental torture. The people I killed. It's not like I wanted to. I just thought I had to. It's like you Eren. You were barely in control of your titan in the beginning. You even attacked Mikasa. Eren, I've killed people and I'm stuck in this prison to do nothing but think about it! Kill me. I... I'm sorry."

Eren's breathing has sped up as he looks at her. "I.. I can't."

Annie sees in his eyes that he isn't lying. He's too weak. She relaxes in her chains. "You asked me how could you help me end this pain and I told you. We have nothing left to talk about." She closes her eyes and hears the ruffle of his clothes as he stands up. His feet clack as he walks across the floor out of the cell. She sits there.

"You knew he wasn't going to be able to do it," Ymir smirks. Annie doesn't bother looking over to her. "I commend you for trying, though."

"Shut the hell up. You're in the same position as me and you'll be begging for death soon as well."

"No. You kept your mouth shut. I'm going to talk and be set free. Not sit and rot. I barely have anything to tell."

"Fucking idiot. You're going to tell them what they want to know and you think they're actually going to set you free? They'll kill you when they get what they want, miss deserter of the scouting legion." Ymir had considered this after seeing Annie. The blonde female coughs viciously.

"Well, at least I can watch you die slowly and painfully."

Annie coughs again, tasting blood on her tongue. "Well Ymir, I know when I die that I will be missed. When you die, who will miss an asshole like you?"

This causes Ymir to think back to something Reiner had said when she had been with him. Why she remembers this moment so well, she can't figure it out.

"It really sucks that Annie got caught by them. I thought I could get her out."

"I don't see why you tried so hard. Now you're out of the loop." Ymir looks into the sky, the stars shining bright.

"Why the hell are you here? I have my reasons for helping Annie but since she's not with me I feel like I might have put her in more danger. She was a good person to spare with. Fun."

"You're soft, Reiner. I'm here to make sure your ass isn't dead."

"I'm a warrior. Here I am. Your efforts were wasted so don't feed me that crap. You don't do anything unless it benefits yourself. So I ask again. Why are you here?"

"Warrior my ass. You're just like every other human. You need Eren right? I'll help you get to him."

"I'm human and you're heartless. Which is worse here?"

"You need me."

"And I won't shed a tear when you die. Right now, Annie is my concern. She worked hard. She's the real warrior. And it's funny how wrong you are. I don't need Eren nor do I need you."

"Then who is it?"

"Christa."

Ymir snaps out of her flashback when footsteps are heard entering the prison. She sees Eren and a gasp escapes her throat at the sight of him. Annie's eyes snap open. He stands with a knife in his hand. Not too long after, Hange and Jean run to the entrance. He puts his hand up, signaling them to stop.

"Don't come any closer." he commands. He drops to his knees in front of Annie, almost desperately. "I need you to tell me. Is this really what you want from me?"

"Yes," she sighs, begging. "Please. It has to be the nape of my neck or else my body will just try to heal itself and I'll be in more pain." He inches closer to her and puts his head to hers. "Are you really going to do this?"

"If you ask..."

"Why?"

"Because we're the same. Both titans. I may not have your intentions. I may not kill, but we are of the same kind and I share your pain."

"Eren..."

"I've never killed one of my friends before."

"You're not killing me. You're helping me. Freeing me." A tear runs down her face and she feels the cold metal of the knife slide through her neck. There's nothing but black. Eren's eyes are closed tightly against the stinging tears, the warmth of her blood on his hand almost burns. His heart leaps too far out of his chest to actually allow him to breath and he leans on Annie's lifeless body.

Hange touches Jean's shoulder lightly. "Go alert Captain Levi." Jean races out of the cell. Ymir looks at Eren and Annie in a somewhat confused rage. She can't seem to fathom what has just occurred. She can't even understand why she is sitting in this cell at the moment. Was it titan instinct that took her to Reiner? Why had she gone to him?

"So there's no way to get to Eren's basement without patching up the hole in Wall Maria first?"

"There is a way," Erwin specifies to Mikasa. "It'll just be more difficult to fight off the titans and there will be close to no rest. Not too mention many more lives would be lost."

Levi sits in a chair with his feet propped up on the table. "So when do you think this plan of yours will be carried out and how do you intend to choose the lucky military police that will be tagging along?"

"That is still..."

"Captain Levi!" Jean bursts in the door. Levi and Erwin look at him, plainly. Mikasa looks somewhere at the floor, not making the slightest bit of eye contact with him. He is out of breath.

"What."

"Annie is dead."

Erwin stands up. "What!?"

"Well," Levi states, unconcerned. "I expected she'd die pretty soon."

"Eren killed her he was with her then he came and got a knife and we were eating and Hange panicked and he asked Annie if that's what she wanted and..."

Levi's eyes widen and Mikasa grabs Jean, shaking him. "Either slow down or shut up." He closes his mouth and looks around, sweating. "Where is Eren?"

"He was still in the cave when I left. Holding onto Annie."

Levi stands up and walks out. Erwin and the others follow close behind. They make their way through the bright district. Merchants do their jobs and birds chirp just like any other day. Levi walks down the stairs to the prison and when he enters, he sees it. Eren is on the ground, head leaning onto Annie's dead body. Levi rushes over to Eren and grabs him. He touches his face.

"Eren. Can you hear me?" The half titan looks at Levi with red eyes. Levi grabs the hand that is still tightly grasping the knife and pries it off. Together they stand up. Levi walks over to Hange. "Make sure that body is buried"

"No." Eren mumbles. "Just burn it."

Levi raises an eyebrow at him. "Eren..."

The taller male pulls away from Levi and walks away, exiting the cave. Levi follows after him. He doesn't say anything. He simply follows, step by step until they reach the house. Inside is Connie, Sasha, and Armin. They all look alarmed to see him.

"Eren!" Armin says, stepping forward. Levi sends him a death glare and the blonde male steps back. The two walk up the stairs, the eyes of the other soldiers burning a whole in their backs. Eren walks to his room and Levi pulls his shirt, pushing him the opposite way down the hall. Eventually he is bought to the bathroom without any debate. Levi takes off the shirt he is wearing that is stained with Annie's blood.

"Why'd you kill her?" Levi asks, finally breaking their silence.

"She asked me... She begged me to," Eren corrects.

"Why'd you kill her?"

Eren looks at him curiously. "I just told you."

"That wasn't the answer I was looking for."

Eren is now getting angry. Annoyed that Levi is being confusing at such a time. "What the hell do you mean. I just told..."

"Why did you kill her?"

"She was in pain."

"That's the whole idea of torture, Eren. You did it because you loved her. That's the only reason you'd be able to do that," Levi says.

Eren looks into the air with disbelief. "You kidding me, right? Are you getting jealous in a situation like this?"

Levi steps up to him. "Situation like this? This isn't jealousy, Eren."

"What do you call it?"

Levi looks at him in his eyes. "You dumb shit, how the hell should I know! I've never had to deal with anything like this before. I... I've never fucking felt this way before."

"I loved her? Levi, I killed her. I thought I loved her! Then I killed her. Even if you begged me to I wouldn't be able to kill you." Eren turns around and pulls at his hair. "Even the thought of that drives me crazy. After all of the shit I've done for you, you think I don't love you?"

"I... I don't want you loving anyone else." Eren turns around and looks at Levi. His eyes veer off to the side again.

"Did you love Petra?"

"I didn't..."

Eren puts his hand on the back of Levi's neck, moving closer to him. "Did you love Petra?

"I just told you.."

"Don't lie to me."

Dammit Eren. "I did. She was the world to me but she's not here anymore..."

"Neither is Annie. I let her go. I'm not telling you to let Petra go but I want you to know that I'm OK with that. Just don't let me go."

"Idiot. After all of the times I've fucked... made love with you, you think I can even consider letting you go?"

Eren can't find the words to speak. He simply puts his arms around Levi.

"I hate you." Levi puts his head close to Eren and closes his eyes, soaking in the embrace.

"You hate me because you actually have emotions. Yeah yeah. I know."

Levi sighs. "Leaving you will be hard."

Eren pulls back looking at him and Levi realizes he has let something slip that shouldn't have come out. "Leave?"

He sighs. "We are going to your basement in a couple days and we're leaving you here."

"What!? Who is we?"

"Everyone but you Eren. We're taking a lot of Military Police and Garrison with us."

"Why are you doing that! I could help..."

"It's clear Reiner is after you. Annie captured you too. It's too risky and he'd expect you to come with us so it'd just be best if we leave you here. It's safer..."

Eren pushes him away. "I'm sick of you guys trying to protect me like I'm not capable."

Levi grabs his arms and pulls him forcefully, squeezing tightly. "Now listen here you little shit. I've already made one decision that caused the death of my friends. A decision that I regret. I will never make that mistake again. You're staying here and you're going to fucking like it."

Eren leans into his anger and connects their lips. Levi falls into the much needed kiss. Both of their lips are warm with stress. Despite the tension they are loose and longing. Slowly, Levi pulls out, letting that rushing tingle he always feels linger.

"You think I want that same guilt on my shoulders because I didn't go with you?"

Levi leans in again but Eren denies him the pleasure of another kiss. "Why are you so damned stubborn? Why can't you just listen to me?" Levi growls.

"Because last time I listened to you a lot of people I care about died."

This causes Levi to freeze, the air in his lungs not moving. Finally he breaks. "Fine. Do what you want." Eren smiles and kisses him again, pressing his bare chest against Levi's shirt. He pulls out again. "But you're telling Mikasa."

LLL- Okie Okie. So yeah. I might make this the last chapter. Gettin kinda repetitive right guys? And Extra chapters that are rated M are in the stories "Painful Connection" and "Pain in Love" They are the exact same thing.