Death: And here is part two!
Chapter Nineteen The Rescue Part Two
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The Special Forces Squad was in a panic, and with good reason. Eren held on tightly to the short captain, his heart racing a hundred miles. Levi grit his teeth, and he urged his horse for more speed. Stella snorted, fighting the reins. He slapped her hindquarters hard, startling Eren. The slap had the desired effect, and the mare pushed forward with her last burst of speed, breathing harder than ever before.
A hand reached out to them. Fingers just barely grasping around Eren and Levi.
Somehow they breached the forest. And within seconds of being grabbed awaiting scouts swung in from above with yells of valor. Someone sliced off the hand that almost caught them, and tips of the fingers brushed against one side of horse and riders. Levi shivered of the feel of fingers against his leg, but kept his focus on dodging trees.
"Special Forces Squad, stick with me! Leave Ylmir to the ambush!" Levi instructed, as his squad regrouped beside him in a close knit formation.
"But shouldn't we be fighting her, too!?"
"They can take care of themselves. Our main objective is to protect Eren at all costs." Levi reminded them.
"But I'm not worth the sacrifices!" Eren was ready to burst, and the captain can feel his body shaking.
Is he shaking out of fear, or anger?
"This is a rescue mission, nothing more, nothing less. We came without weapons of Hange's creations, for they would have slowed us down. And for the moment I am incapable of fighting, so I am in need of everyone here to do their jobs and not engage unless we have no other choice."
"But..." Eren was trying to find the words to argue.
"Accept the sacrifices for what they are, and mourn later. If I allowed all of you to engage as you wish, Eren will become unprotected. And what would happen if we are overtaken with no one to fight them off? Then the sacrifices would have been for naught. All of those lives lost this day will be useless, because we failed our objective. Failing our objective would mean we failed humanity altogether in the loss of Eren."
His words cut deep, cold and unforgiving. But, they now saw his point. And with grim expressions, his squad accepted his orders. All except Eren. Levi felt the teen lean his head forward in defeat. He wasn't sure if anyone could see, but the captain could feel the tears seeping through his uniform. Levi felt his chest tighten at the action, not used to the titan shifter to be so emotional in an expedition. Anger, fury, he was used to. Tears of defeat and loss was something else entirely.
Halfway through the forest other scouts joined them in the air. They said nothing, as they directed the squad towards the reunion where the commander had given. On the way there had been few titans. The few that sprung on them were easy to take down, and the Special Forces Squad didn't have to take care of them, much to Levi's relief.
Their pace slowed down as they breached the treeline. Ahead Levi could see the Survey Corp waiting for their arrival. At the sight of the Special Forces Squad, the scouts cheered and whistled as relief swept over them. Levi pulled his horse to a trot as they drew near. At the front he caught sight of Erwin, still on his pale grey horse, and despite the missing arm he still had the appearance of a commanding leader.
When he pulled Stella to a stop beside Erwin, Levi felt his heart sink upon reading the man's face.
He's disappointed in me.
Pale gray eyes stared at the missing limb, which he could see was bandaged. And still Erwin wore his uniform proudly, despite the missing sleeve that revealed the gruesome reminder that their commander was still human, no matter how great of a man he was. Guilt ate at Levi, and it struck him that the loss of that arm was partially his fault.
He came between me and Reiner. He gave up his arm to save me, when I was ready to accept death.
Wordlessly Levi moved forward, his horse snorted at slight irritation of being separated from the grey horse, but walked on without further objection. The air shifted around them, and those who noticed were the Special Forces Squad and Hange. Brown eyes followed after the captain with silent worry.
The tension in the air intensified when someone spoke up for the captain.
"He switched me to his horse, despite how I'm a burden. He removed his damaged gear so we could go faster. He kept us all from launching in the air, on the need of protecting me in the most dire situation. If he hadn't, we might not even be here! And you look at him like that upon our return?" Eren, no longer crying, but the emotional meltdown he had earlier strained his voice, as he bitterly glared at their commander. Levi, shocked, pulled his horse to a stop, but dared not look back.
"Eren..." Mikasa urged her horse between Stella and the commander's.
"He risked the idea of losing his entire squad if things went wrong just because of your set objective! He even made it a point to us this squad is the last ditch effort of sacrificial lambs to keep me alive! He's the only one who couldn't fight without gear, so he took the burden of my survival, even if it meant losing his entire squad again! And you dare give him that look, as if he failed? Do you honestly blame him over what happened earlier!?" Eren ignored the hushed tones of his sister and Armin.
"You know, forgive me for being out of line, commander, but that was a bit ungrateful." Jean added, before Eren could resort to yelling at the top of his lungs and say something very stupid, something he would never take back.
A hushed silence filled the air. Eyes darted from the commander to Eren and Levi. The tension in the atmosphere was so thick, it was about to snap under pressure. Hange was the first to move, noting the guarded look on Erwin's face.
"I will temporarily be taking the position of commander while Erwin heals. Until further notice, everyone will be following my orders once more. And for my first act, I name Corporal Levi on temporary relieve of his duties from the Survey Corp. I am not suspending him, for he has done no wrong but his duty. However, the queen has informed us that she is in need of his services. Until he is needed again, I name his second in charge of the Special Forces Squad."
Gasps and whispers spread. It was one thing to be named as temporary commander, it was another to pull rank without permission. However, many felt that this was needed. If Hange didn't act now, there would have been a severe argument that left the Survey Corp torn. And a decrease in morale was dangerous for their line of work.
"We make our heading to the gate in the next twenty minutes. And I request no one disturb Erwin or any members of the Special Forces Squad. In the meantime, keep a watch out for titans and other scouts." Hange instructed, and the whispering dispersed.
Everyone made way for the Special Forces Squad. Levi and Mikasa's horses were side by side, but it was clear which of them was taking initiative. She had the intentions of leading the squad as far away from Erwin as possible, so as to soothe over the harsh feelings that lingered from all sides. Dark grey eyes studied Levi now and then, but Mikasa couldn't get a good reading. His eyes were overshadowed by his bangs.
But even as his head hung in defeat, she could see his body was taught and ready to strike.
She wasn't the only one to notice. The worried look from Eren told her everything. He was behind the captain, and he could feel the muscles strained, as if debating whether or not to attack or take their time. Trying to cheer the mood, Eren gently tightened his hold around the captain. He felt the muscles spasm, as guarded walls went up between them.
"Hey, think we can have an outing with the gear tomorrow?" Eren suggested softly, placing his chin on a tiny shoulder.
Levi didn't answer.
"Eren, give him some space." Mikasa reached out with one hand to pull him onto her horse.
"But he needs us now more than ever." Eren frowned.
"Give him time alone. He knows where to find us when he needs us."
"You think I'm dangerous."
Stella stopped the moment he spoke, when he tugged on the reins just enough for her to pause. The tone in his voice was soft, but emotion in it was intense. It was hard for Mikasa to figure out if he felt fury or betrayal. She didn't respond, as she felt any answer she would have given would upset him more, which was answer enough for the short captain.
He was about to say more when suddenly screams filled the air. Everyone looked up in time to see a tree flying their way. In an instant the scouts were in a panic. The Special Forces Squad broke into a gallop, but with everyone blindly running out of the way the group separated. Levi glanced around quickly, and to his annoyance, he couldn't locate any members of his squad.
As more trees were thrown, Levi maneuvered skillfully to break free of the massive group. By this point though, the majority figured out the best chances of survival was to scatter. In the midst of it all, two familiar titans emerged from the trees with a deafening roar. Levi looked over his shoulder, and realized it hadn't been them who threw the trees, but a different titan hiding in the treeline.
Who else is there? If it was Bertoldt, he would be towering the trees.
It unnerved him to no end there was an unnamed enemy working alongside the three rogue scouts. And he couldn't name a suspect, for the numbers and names were all accounted for. Did this unknown come from a faction, or hiding in the shadows, bidding their time, all the while pulling the strings of these titan shifters?
That seemed more likely, for he couldn't see any of the three traitors as the brains of the group and lead them.
Reiner must have caught sight of Eren, for he bounded towards them. With a growl Levi finally broke away from a large group. Scouts shouted after him, but didn't follow when the Armored Titan was now almost on their tail, eyes only on Eren. Levi made a sharp turn when Reiner leapt forward, sliding on the ground with an arm reached out. Fingers were barely feet away from grasping them, and Levi had turned to enter the forest.
"What are you doing!? We can't separate from the others!"
"Their intentions are clear. They only want you. If I give them a game of hide and seek, they will focus less on the Survey Corp and more on us. This might give the scouts time to regroup and formulate a plan to intervene."
"And if they can't?"
"Relax. I've run from the Military Police for nearly all of my life. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to lose pursuers."
Levi hoped with all of his might his tricks will work against the titan shifters.
He bounded from forest to forest, choosing trees that were tall and placed close together. The Armored Titan couldn't fully keep up, with its broad shoulders and bulky body struggled to get through the trees. Ylmir was above, jumping branch to branch. But even she struggled when Levi freely changed direction at random and without a pattern to his methods.
At one point, when the horse showed signs of exhaustion titans swarmed from every which direction. Like before, they swarmed around Ylmir and Reiner. The one to fall back and out of sight first was the Armored Titan, being weighed down as titans pulled him down. It took a while longer for Ylmir to be overtaken.
When they cleared a forest did she finally slow down. One glance at her was enough to see she was being overcome with exhaustion. She didn't have the stamina to keep going, and she stopped, leaning against a tree. Levi kept his horse on the run until they were out of sight. They came upon a lonely, crumbling remains of a house. All that was left of it were a few walls.
Only then did Levi stop.
The moment he did, however, they heard rustling. Stella reared with a shrill cry when a titan on all fours burst through the bushes and trees that had claimed the crumbled building. Eren fell, and arms still around the captain, he pulled him down. They groaned on the ground, and watched in horror as the dark mare ran off and out of sight.
Eyes turned to the titan, and saw in shock to see it had some sort of saddle on its back. And sitting there, holding the reins, was a man with grey beard and hair. Yellow brown eyes studied them with curiosity through thin and round spectacles.
"Eren, if you would please come with me, you will find a lot of answers you seek." The man said.
"...Why do you look like my father? You...you can't be him, right?" Eren gulped, not moving from where he was.
"As I said, all answers will be given. However, I cannot take him with me. And he cannot remain a witness."
Pale blue gray gave away to bright yellow. With a shrill cry of a bird, Levi pulled out both knives from his pockets and leaped high in the air. Eren shouted, just as the strange titan on all fours attempted to bite Levi but missed.
A shot echoed the air, followed by a scream which turned into a roar.
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Darkness was close at hand. Eren had managed to find a body of a dead scout. Somehow, the gear was undamaged with a decent amount of gas. He checked the other find, but the gear was too damaged to be used. He took the spare blades and gas cannisters for good measure, though.
He stood on top of the ruins, whistling with all of his might. Teal green eyes scanned all around with hope, some form of sign for a horse. After a few minutes, he found no movement, no sound. Defeated, Eren jumped down and made his way to the injured captain. It was late summer, and lately the nights have become colder.
"Still no sign of any horses. It's too dark to be setting off flares." He reported, biting his lip at the sight before him.
Levi was in bad shape. The cut on his forehead had reopened, and only recently did the bleeding stop. Dried blood covered half of his pale face, staining his uniform and ascot. And on one side was a gaping wound Eren had wrapped using his jacket. For a second he feared the worst when the captain did not move.
"Captain? Sir? Captain! Can you hear me?" Eren knelt beside him, reaching to feel for a pulse.
"I'm fine." A weak answer gasped out.
"No, no you're not fine. I've never seen you like this before. You were always so strong... and I was foolish to believe you wouldn't be in this state. Despite some titan gene in you, you don't have the same healing properties as I do." Eren nibbled his lip, referring to the gunshot wound that had already healed on his shoulder.
"I will be fine. I have one last order. In the morning, go. Go to the wall. Leave me behind." Levi dared not look at the titan shifter.
If I hold you down, I can't be of any use to your safety. It would be better if one of us at least made it alive.
"What are you saying? I can't leave you! You are humanity's strongest! Erwin needs you, your squad needs you! And your daughter, she hasn't had the chance to meet you yet! You would sacrifice yourself like this so selfishly, without even seeing her? What about making up with Erwin? You can't accept death without facing your regrets captain!" Eren held the short man close, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I have no regrets." Levi whispered.
"You can't say that! I know that's not the truth! You can't leave us like this..."
"You mean I can't leave you like this. You haven't followed my advice, soldier."
"I...I'm sorry. I tried, I tried really hard! And, I almost put it behind me. And then...and then I saw the look he gave you upon our return. I couldn't stay silent. Forgive me for standing up to you, but that was unfair of him!" Eren was shaking as he remembered what had transpired earlier.
"It's not your fault."
By this point Levi was struggling to remain awake. He thought over how he was injured. Levi was concerned he couldn't remember any of it. He looked up to the titan shifter, his voice hoarse.
"How did I end up like this...? The last thing I remember is being cornered by someone riding a titan."
"Huh? You don't remember?"
"Just tell me."
"Well, I think you transformed again. But it wasn't physical, as what Armin pointed out earlier. You moved like a bird, though. And your eyes changed. You attacked him, but we didn't know he had a gun on him. Even though he shot you, you kept moving like nothing happened."
"So how does that explain your wound?"
"He was going to shoot you in the head. His titan thing he was riding held you down, and I jumped in between. I transformed and threw them far away from us. I held you and carried you to the nearest shelter I could find. I must have been exhausted, for I didn't remain in my titan form for long after that. After doing the best with your wound, I sent off an emergency flare and searched around. I found bodies that have gone missing from one of our previous expeditions, and one of the gears was in good enough condition."
"No sign of horses?"
"No. I whistled for a good five minutes. Maybe in the morning we'll have a better time finding one. Or, if I can transform again, I can carry you to the wall." Eren dared not give up hope.
Levi didn't share the same thought. He closed his eyes, as the cold air numbed the pain. Even though these arms weren't the ones he wanted, he accepted their warmth. He just hoped this wasn't going to be a continuous thing between them during every mission, he remembered when the last time these arms held him was after he had done a heinous act in killing nine people.
Levi breathed in, and released, as darkness took him to a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, out of habit from living as a scout, Eren woke up before dawn. And to his amazement, when he checked the captain's wound, it was healed. In fact, all of his wounds from the last few days had fixed themselves overnight. Eren carefully checked the broken ribs he felt the previous day, and they were no longer broken.
Maybe his healing abilities don't take full effect unless he's on the verge of death?
Eren will have to bring this theory to Hange later. He decided to remain as he was, and didn't wake the captain. Dark circles under his eyes, and his pale skin was sullen from over stress and lack of sleep. It wouldn't surprise him if Levi hadn't slept at all the night before last, the night before the rescue mission.
When the sun peeked into the sky did Levi began to stir. He was aware of the cold, crisp morning. Blue gray eyes opened, surprised to be still alive. And then he registered there was no more pain. He checked over his wounds in confusion.
"You might not have the same healing qualities I do, but yours kicks in when your life is in serious danger. At least, that's what I've concluded about this. Think Hange will be proud of me coming up with the theory?" Eren inquired with a big grin.
"Probably. Or shitty glasses will be pawing you, delighted to see the signs of turning you into a junior scientist." Levi snorted.
At that Eren laughed. Levi pulled away, as he slowly stood up. His bad leg acted up from the cold, but he was used to it. Levi straightened up and stretched, reminding the other of a cat. Eren stood up behind him, and began fiddling with the straps of his banged up gear.
"Keep that on. Better you to have the gear, than I, in case you need to get away." Levi refused to be a sole survivor if anything happened.
Eren reluctantly followed orders. He wasn't going to get on the captain's bad side.
They started their day by standing on top of the ruins and whistled. Some minutes later, Levi caught sigh of Stella racing toward them. To his surprise, there was also a horse behind her. It was riderless, and to his relief it didn't belong to his squad members or Erwin's pale grey. The two jumped down from the ruins and made their way towards the horses. Stella stopped short, and with excitement she nibbled Levi's hair.
"Oi. Stop that. You almost bit my hair off, girl." Levi pushed her nose away, and then scratched her neck.
"Whose horse is that?" Eren inquired, as he held the frightened animal's bridle.
"Don't know. It might have been out here for a while. But it still knows us, at least." Levi shrugged.
They settled on the saddles and made their way towards Wall Rose. Levi kept the pace at a leisurely trot, not worried just yet to be at full speed. If he was correct, once they cleared these hills they should be very close to the wall that was recently nearly destroyed. By the time it was around breakfast time for the scouts, they had the wall in sight. Seeing a gate, Levi felt the excitement rush through.
He clicked his tongue and Stella burst into a gallop, and the easily spooked horse behind her. As they drew closer, Levi sent off a green flare. Within seconds a green flare answered on top of the wall. Good, the Wall Garrison have kept good vigilance on Wall Rose since the scare of titans breaching it.
As they closed in, the gate was slowly opening. The gate didn't fully open, just enough for the two stranded scouts to run through on their mounts. As soon as they crossed into safety, they were met with cheers from Wall Garrison on duty. And joining them were the few civilians who woke up early every day.
Levi recognized one of the members of the second in command's squad come up to them when the horses pulled to a stop. The young man greeted them with a relieved smile, eyes wide in relief and awe.
"We sent a messenger to the palace and Survey Corp headquarters of your return." He said when he stood beside Stella.
"Where is Erwin currently located?" Levi inquired, hoping with all of his might the man had made it back safely.
"I believe Commander Erwin is in the palace in the inner city with Commander Hange."
"Thank you. We will be making our way there."
"Let us escort you." The soldier offered, and as much as Levi wished to refuse, he accepted.
It was better for Eren to be surrounded to drive back the people. They traveled relatively slow, not at all in a hurry. This only seemed to irritate Levi to no end. He kept his thoughts to himself as they arrived within the inner city by early noon. They were surprised to be met with cheers and open arms from Survey Corp, Wall Garrison, and citizens alike. In a matter of moments the Special Forces Squad was reunited.
"Erwin is anxiously waiting for your return. He wanted to come out himself, but Hange and the queen ordered him to be bedridden for the rest of the week." Mikasa informed them, her tired eyes glowing in relief.
"Hey what happened to you guys? You both look pretty bloodied up." Horse Face was the first to speak about the amount of blood stains over the two.
"It was..." Eren didn't get to finish when the captain cut him off.
"Let's just say we got into a bit of trouble. I'm still wrapping my head around we survived at all." Levi didn't feel comfortable to explain everything out in the open, surrounded by cheering citizens.
It didn't take long for them to reach the palace. And to their surprise, waiting in front of the doors beside Queen Historia, was none other than commanders Erwin and Hange. Levi felt relief and joy swell in his chest at the sight of Erwin. But he held back the urge to run into the man's arms. Instead, ignoring an offered hug from the queen when he dismounted, Levi marched straight up to Erwin.
Blue eyes held relief, remorse, and guilt.
Levi felt horrible, but he needed to make a point clear between them. And disciplining his lover in public be damned.
SMACK!
Levi swung from his left, making a point to hit Erwin's right side of his face. Cold pale gray eyes flashed dangerously. Very rarely did anyone who met the end of his fist remain silent. A red mark marred the perfect face, as the cheek began to swell. For a long moment no one moved.
Finally Erwin moved so his eyes were fixed upon the corporal.
"I owe you an apology, for yesterday. I wasn't mad at your actions, only that it seemed at that precious second you went back on our promise. I thought you gave up, ready for defeat." Erwin's voice was strained, eyes gave away for the briefest second he wanted to swing back, but he held a high amount of restraint.
"That doesn't mean you had to act so selfishly and pull a Yeager, sir." Levi snarled.
"I acted on what I thought was the right decision to snap you out of it."
"And you were almost eaten in the process. You put me above the lambs you lead and slaughter in each expedition you plan up. If you ever do that again, I will resign from the Survey Corp and start my position as royal guard early. I will not have the blood of your sacrifices on my hands."
And with that Levi strolled passed and entered the palace. It took a lot for him not to look back, to keep his back straight and chin held high. He will not appear weak in front of everyone. Not now, not ever.
As soon as he was well away from the front doors, Levi followed a random corridor and leaned against the wall. His body shook, as he breathed carefully. He hated being so harsh on Erwin, but he needed to make his point clear so as he didn't have to witness something like that ever again.
Levi became hyper aware someone followed him, their footsteps faint, and foreign to his ears. He turned, about to snap a dark comment, but stopped short. He didn't need to ask for a name the moment he laid eyes on her.
She was just barely a few inches taller than him. She had familiar curves in the Queen's Guard uniform, decent chest, dark hair flowing past tiny shoulders with wavy curls at the ends. Her skin was pale, mirror of his, and there was no mistaking eyes staring back at him with guarded curiosity.
She has Kenny's eyes. My eyes.
Hers were a little more rounded, more alike his uncle than his own in shape. And he realized why Kenny was always startled when he looked into his eyes, for it was like looking in a mirror. It was as if they met their own replicas, and the total lack of preparation to finally meet her Levi was speechless.
"I have been told you're my father. Didn't believe it until I saw you. Do you know where my mother is? And what was that about punching Commander Erwin like that? Not many people can actually get away with that, so you must be very close to him for not having consequences for punching a high officer."
Levi didn't know how to respond. His mind couldn't even think as he stared dumbfounded at his daughter.
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Death: And that was part two! Felt it was a good enough place to end, because why not?
So without further ado, please leave a review!