Humanity's Strongest Woman

by xDollfie

In every empire, there is an epic era that defies the boundaries of time and immortalized itself in the history books. For mankind, an epic era they will never forget has finally emerged. The war between humanity and Titans has finally come to a head. Love cease to exist in a time like this, but they found it, and promised that it'll be worth it. Every stubborn inch of it [LEVIXOC]

41. Entropy

Trigger warnings: Heavy violence & psychopathic themes.

Entropy: the lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder.

Thank you 92 is half of 99 and blackbutler415 for giving me your opinion!

---

Humanity's Strongest Woman by xDollfie

Chapter 37 — Entropy

---

The vibrant sunset streamed over the decimated city of Shiganshina, covering everything with a golden hue. Dangling her legs off the edge of the wall, she smiled and shut her eyes. Calmed by the serenity of her environment, Ivy was reliving her past experiences. A variety of scenes appeared then faded again. One eventually stuck, the outlines beginning to coalesce.

Needless to say, Ivy recognized it right away.

It was the time she'd met Zeke and gained back her freedom.

She was lying on the floor on a dirty cell overflowing with the smell of fecal matter and disease. A short heavy metal chain bound to her emaciated ankle held her prisoner. Artificial sunlight streamed into the room from the open door, blinding her momentarily.

And there he was, his towering frame looking down upon her. She remembered his beautiful blonde hair, the golden hue surrounding his body from the light behind him when he extended his hand to her, and those beautiful, ocean eyes...

Her God. Her salvation. Her savior.

"There you are."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ivy saw Reiner walking over to her.

"Armored!" she waved. "Hello!"

"Zeke wants you back at the camp. Pieck just came back from her patrol, so you shouldn't be out in the open, we don't know when the enemy might come."

She kicked the wind excitedly and smiled. "Alright! Will be there soon!"

Reiner continued to stare at her with a mixture of doubt and certainty. Ivy knew that he was uncomfortable around her for obvious reasons. Her inquisitive eyes fixated upon Reiner, she patted the area beside her. "Come sit beside me, armored."

A look of confusion washed over his face. "Huh?"

"It's just for a little while," she said eagerly. "It's time we get to know each other! Since we are now, you know, warrior-buds and all."

A rock lodged in his throat, and Reiner looked reluctant to move.

Ivy feigned a bit of eye-rolling and added, "Come on, I won't bite! We'll leave after a while!"

She had thought that he'd ignore her request, but surprisingly, Reiner compiled and sat down beside her on the edge of the wall. Ivy grinned triumphantly at his compliance.

She raised her arms and stretched. "Feels good, doesn't it? We are so high up!"

"What do you want with me?"

She raised a brow at his cautious tone. "Nothing," Ivy replied with a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "Why? Might you be interested in me, armored?" She giggled at her own joke, a finger twirling in her hair. "That's cute, but I don't date boys your age."

Reiner didn't seem to appreciate her jest. "Of course not."

"I won't deny it then, I'm curious." Ivy brought one leg to her chest and pressed her cheek on it. Her dissecting eyes studied his profile. "You lived with them for a few years… those devils..."

Distress rained over his features, he knew what she was asking about. Reiner stiffened uncomfortably, struggling to let the words out. "There's nothing much to say about them," he finally said. "They… are exactly like what we were told they were… filthy devils and nothing more…"

A satisfied smile brightened her visage. Liar, he was too easy to read.

Ivy leaned in closer, a move that took Reiner by surprise. "It's a shame I wasn't there to witness it," she said slowly, enjoying how every syllabus was causing his frown to deepen. "Ahh, I could just imagine their faces when you revealed your identity to them — the betrayer!" She laughed, her hand covering her mouth. "Their expression must've been glorious!"

The vibrancy of life drained from his face when Ivy went on without mercy.

"How was it like to smash down a wall and watch thousands of screaming people get eaten alive? You were just a kid then, but you remember, don't you? What did you feel, armored? Was it joy? Pride?" Her green eyes glazed; the edges of euphoria marked in her sly smile. "Or maybe… despair?"

Reiner stood up abruptly. Clenched fist pressed to his sides, his expression was dark with turmoil and misery. Barely contained anger coated his stern words. "I have nothing more to say to you."

"Oh, don't get upset, armored." Ivy fluttered her lashes. "I'm merely curious, those idiots back at Marley sent kids to commit mass murder. That makes you an intriguing figure."

Reiner grimaced at her indifference. Perhaps he knew better than to lose his cool at someone who was clearly unhinged. He swallowed his indignation like a bitter pill and changed the subject, "We should get going, Zeke wants to go through the plans one more time."

"How boring," Ivy puffed her cheeks. She was silent for a while, her gaze back on the scenery. "Look armored... beyond this city that you destroyed, doesn't it look peaceful?"

She inclined her head and exhaled gustily. "Right now, those ignorant devils are probably enjoying their lives blissfully, not even aware of the hatred from the world beyond… maybe they don't even know that we're here, just waiting for them…"

Reiner's frown was immediate. "Zeke said that we shouldn't make any cautious moves. It's best we wait for them here. You shouldn't go back into the city."

She chuckled as if his worries were unfounded. "Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid." Her lips curled upwards and she pointed a finger at him. "After all, haven't you heard this phrase: entropy increases and things fall apart?"

When Reiner gave her a silent response, Ivy twirled a finger in her red hair and merely giggled. It made him even more uncomfortable. She was the definition of erratic; he couldn't read her thoughts nor predict her actions.

But if one thing was clear, Reiner knew she was finding pleasure in their current situation.

"Even without us bringing the fight to them, their peace and happiness won't last forever," she explained serenely. "It's the most basic law of nature, the law of entropy. The more structured your life is – the happier you are, there will always be a gradual decline into disorder... everything eventually falls apart... and when it does, all that's left is misery, madness, and chaos..."

"You speak as if you have experienced it yourself," Reiner said stiffly, drained from a conversation with her.

Ivy smirked cynically and when she spoke again, her tone was genuine. There were no other pretenses and notions. "Well... I can tell you one thing, armored. There's no place for idealism or happiness in this big, beautiful world. Us being here waiting for them to come only proves whatever I just said. Whether those devils like it or not, entropy increases, and everything; happiness, peace, even dreams... it will eventually fall apart."

Slowly, she rose to her feet.

"I'm just glad that this time, I'm here to witness everything."

Reiner wasn't sure whether he heard right. He wasn't sure if the voice was a figment of his imagination or something echoing in the wind. Against his better judgment, he could've sworn that when Ivy glanced back at the scenery again with a poignant expression, he heard her say something. But it didn't make any sense. Ivy was a deranged, sadistic individual who took joy in others' misery.

Though it was impossibly absurd, Reiner could've sworn he heard her say, "Beloved sister."

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

"So, when is the big day?"

After the meeting with the Survey Corps leaders concluded, Levi walked into his office with Hanji following him. "What do you mean?"

"You're a weird one, aren't you?" Hanji laughed merrily. "Don't tell me you did not even consider settling down?"

He threw a menacing glare in her direction. "You're the last person I want to hear call someone weird."

"You didn't answer my question." Hanji grinned slyly. She sat down and propped her feet up on his desk. "Am I invited to the wedding?"

Scowling, Levi smacked her boots with a folder. "Get your damn feet off the desk. It's filthy."

She pouted. "I thought we were friends."

"Colleagues," he amended sharply.

"How mean!" she whined. "I can't believe you don't even think of me as a friend!"

He exhaled sharply and pulled his chair out from his desk. Levi made a motion with his hands, gesturing her to leave. "Go and bother someone else, four eyes, I have work to do."

"Fine, don't tell me then." Hanji huffed indignantly. "But just so you know, I'll bug Ida on when the date, and if that doesn't work, I'll go to Erwin, and I'll tell him that despite the fact that you're sleeping with his only daughter, you have no inclination on marrying—"

"Alright, fine, just shut up already." Levi talked right over her; his lips twisted in a derisive snarl.

Damn her. Using dirty tactics like bringing Erwin into it. He ought to beat some sense into her, but even Levi knew that wouldn't stop her. In any case, he'll have better luck chasing away a Titan than a shitty glasses hell-bent on annoying him endlessly. Besides, despite his words, he did think of her as a friend.

To her credit, Hanji waited patiently for his reply. But he didn't miss her annoying triumphant expression, and it only made him more bitter.

"I didn't give it much thought," he admitted bluntly, wanting nothing more than to get her off his back. "Not in the state where humanity is now."

She gasped and clapped her hands. "So, you did think about it!"

It was at that moment that Levi decided that even the shitty Titans were better than Hanji. At least he could legally kill them. Scowling, he leaned back on his chair with his arms crossed, "I don't see why I should divulge my private life details to you, four eyes."

"Because we're friends," Hanji shamelessly declared. "And just so you know, I was egging for you two together from the very start. I deserve to know whether my efforts have paid off."

Levi snorted rudely. "Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today?"

Ignoring his growing irritation, Hanji prattled on. "Oh, I can't even imagine it! It's adorable!" she fawned, her smile broadening. "You, the stiff midget and the other hot-headed midget getting married out of all things! You know, I was thinking about it, but don't you think that it's weird how you two are even sleeping with each other when you hated each other so much in the past?"

"Then don't even think about it," Levi snapped, grimacing. His glare took on a more venomous quality. He could never understand what was going on in her head, and frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"You might even have kids!" Hanji squealed excitedly, leaning forward. "Can I plan the wedding?!"

"No."

Hanji opened her mouth, ready to argue. "But—"

"Not a damn chance, no matter how much you beg and grovel."

His vigilant eyes slowly settled on her sternly. The thoughts of Hanji overseeing any event was horrifying.

"Fine," she relented with a pout. "But at least tell me, will it happen soon?"

Tired of her endless questions, Levi cast a heated glare of warning not to push too far at her. "Are you aware that we are currently amid planning for an expedition that humanity's hopes would ride upon? We have better things to think about now." He angrily opened his folder. "Besides, as active members of the Survey Corps, we don't even know when we would fall in battle."

He had expected her to launch another complaint at his caustic tone, perhaps even look slightly guilty at his blunt reminder. So, it surprised him when Hanji's features softened and she went silent. He looked up from his folder, surprised to see how she was staring at him kindly, as if she was seeing him in a new light.

A pregnant pause skipped past them before Hanji spoke with a relieved smile spread on her face.

"You're not even denying it anymore…"

Levi was silent after that, bewildered by her words. His eyes narrowed as if he himself was not aware of the fact. Not too long ago, he had done everything in his power to deny that he needed Ida, that he was even capable of love, but now… everything felt so natural. It was as if a dense fog had lifted, and now he could see everything clearly. He couldn't deny the pleased feeling he felt when he thought about their future, no matter how unattainable it might be.

Truthfully, he didn't have any words to describe how he was feeling. But Hanji knew what it was. It was hope. The hope that despite everything and how he acted, Levi truly, and sincerely, believed that there was a light at the end of their long arduous road. The hope that through it all, he knew that that was another life waiting for him after the end of this hell. He was not just living solely for the sake of his duty any longer.

"I always knew that you two would get together," Hanji said sincerely. "I remember thinking how you two are similar in a sense, and that despite the fights, how you two were the only ones who could truly understand each other. Honestly, Levi… I'm really happy for you…"

He opened and closed his mouth. Levi's features collapsed into a frown. He was silent for a long time, before he scoffed and got back to his work.

Nodding, Hanji took it as her cue to leave. It wasn't until she was at the door when she heard something. It was soft but she could've sworn that Levi had said, "Thank you, Hanji."

Wondering if her eyes were playing her, she turned around, but the Captain had already started with his daily paperwork.

A knowing smile etched itself on her lips before she disappeared from his office.

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

Ida felt a wave of dizziness wash over her as she picked at her stew. Something seemed to have suddenly sucked the energy out of her, leaving her with a pounding headache. The expedition date had finally been set and approved, and this meant that her workload was heavier than usual. After the coup and the recent happenings, there were only a handful of veterans left.

The mess hall was more crowded than usual for dinner due to the influx of new recruits. Thankfully for Ida who was helplessly trapped in a migraine, the presence of Erwin and the other squad leaders in the mess hall were powerful deterrents for the younger recruits. She would've hated to experience their rowdiness.

It's probably just overworking, she reasoned inwardly.

Using her fork, Ida prodded the floating carrot in her tasteless stew. She must really have it easier in the past. Stepping up to responsibility was in no way easy if she was already feeling this shitty. Erwin and the rest probably had it worse.

"We can win! We can beat them!" Marlowe said loudly, seated a few tables away from her where the rest of her squad was. "With the new weapons, the Titans will crumble like paper!"

Her lips twitched upwards upon hearing his enthusiasm and hope. The Thunder Spears that Hanji invented were indeed powerful weapons.

"You're so damned worked up," Jean grumbled. "Only you would be happy about becoming a scout."

Her smile vanished as quickly as it came. She felt suffocated out of a sudden. Ida was reminded of the upcoming expedition. Her eyes scoured the crowded mess hall. The Survey Corps was now made up of mainly inexperienced recruits. How many will die this time?

"Ida, why are you not eating?"

She jolted when Erwin's flat voice flowed into her contemplative state.

Ida mustered her best reassuring smile. "Oh, I don't really have an appetite."

"Are you feeling unwell?" Hanji said. "You seem to be out of it nowadays."

"It's probably those shitty sweets she eats all the time," Levi grumbled from beside her. "Stop being picky and eat your food, brat."

"I haven't really been eating sweets though…" she said offhandedly, pouting at his insensitive remark. "I don't like the carrots, they taste weird."

Drik looked up with a mouthful of stew at her comment. "They taste fine to me."

"Same here," Marlene nodded in agreement. "Did you get a bad one?"

Taking another spoonful of her stew, she grimaced when she bit into a carrot. She never thought she was a picky eater, but she certainly disliked carrots now if this was what they normally tasted like.

It seemed that Levi had noticed the grimace because he suddenly grabbed her bowl from her. "Tch. Give me that."

What she witnessed next threw her into a tornado of shock — the good kind of shock. She sat there, stunned at the scene in front of her when Levi started to pick out the bits of carrots in her stew, one piece at a time.

Ida regarded Levi with amazement at his sweet gesture. This was one of his nicest things he had done. She had expected him to reprimand her for being so picky with food when so many impoverished civilians were starving over the meager rations.

Her heart skipped a beat as if she had fallen in love with him all over again. Levi Ackerman didn't strike her as the type to be so considerate, sweet, and understanding. It surprised her. He was only like this with her and she felt strangely possessive when she thought about it.

It seemed that Ida wasn't the only one surprised by his behavior because she sensed curious gazes on them. She hid a smile and tilted her head. Hanji and Erwin didn't seem that surprised, but the rest of the squad leaders were certainly gaping at Levi's odd behavior.

"You missed a carrot there," she lightheartedly noted to him.

Levi did not even blink in concern. "Shut up, I can see that."

Ida smiled sheepishly. He didn't seem bothered with the stares at all. While Levi was busy picking out her carrots for her, she found her attention wandering back to the table where the rest of their squad were.

"Whoa, whoa..." Floch said mockingly, turning around from his seat and facing her squad. "Think you're some veteran hero now, Jean?"

It's that kid with the rat-nest hair again. Positively drawn by their conversation, Ida listened in.

"Compared to you I am."

Floch laughed light-heartedly and got off his seat with his friends. "How rude. Weren't we in the 104th together? Besides we aren't the only one, everyone in the Walls is pumped up about the idea of retaking Wall Maria."

Oh, this is something new. Ida didn't know that there were from the same trainee batch. In any case, she realized that the new recruits were too sheltered. No matter how prepared they are, they always had to prepare for the unpredictable nature when fighting with unknown enemies. She sighed to herself. Maybe Levi was right, she should make their training lesson stricter. It'd only increase their chances of survival.

"Still, you do seem different now," Floch blinked in confusion when he got a better look at her squad. "What exactly happened?"

She could tell that the atmosphere at Jean's table had gotten tense. Her squad's expressions were suddenly clouded by a dark veil.

"Wanna know?" Jean asked stoically, the sarcasm hidden between his syllabus.

Ida bit her lip, surprised by how emotional she suddenly felt. They were just children, and yet they had been through so much. Currently, a good portion of the Survey Corps ranks consisted of sheltered children. Would the retaking of Wall Maria go as planned?

She exhaled wearily, reprioritizing. No. She shouldn't be thinking of what happened if they failed. They must succeed. No matter the cost. Too many things were riding on the successful retake of Wall Maria.

Levi slid the bowl to her when he was done. "Here, eat something."

Ida smiled appreciatively at him. "Thanks."

"You'll keel over if you are so picky with your food," Levi grumbled in a deadpan. "Staying fit is a soldier's duty as well."

He gestured to her stew with narrowed, stern eyes. Ida figured he wanted to watch her eat. She obediently took a spoonful of stew. She didn't have much of an appetite lately, but after Levi had so sweetly picked out the nasty carrots for her, she had to try. She was distractedly playing with her bread before something else came up in her mind.

"By the way, the kid with the rat nest seems to be a troublemaker."

"Rat nest?" Hanji parroted, intrigued by her creative description.

"She means that brat there," Levi scowled and gestured his head to Floch's back — he was leaving the mess hall.

"Pfft." Hanji clapped her hand on her mouth to muffle her laughter. "Ida, you're so mean!"

"I'm worried," Ida admitted quietly, peeling her bread and dunking it into the stew. "About the upcoming expedition, I mean. There are a lot of inexperienced kids following us this time around. The Survey Corps isn't as it was before."

"They'll be in charge of the horses and supplies under my squad," Klaus said. "The fighting would be mainly done by the veterans. I think it'll be fine."

A frown creased Levi's brow. "That is if things don't fuck up." He grunted. "But things usually turn out in a shitty mess whether we like it or not."

Ida nodded her head, grimacing at the thought of letting children fight. "I'll train them stricter."

"We have a final combined exercise scheduled soon," Erwin said steadily. "It'll be beneficial for them to learn to use the Thunder Spears safely as a cohesive squad too."

Ida was about to reply to him when Eren suddenly came up to their table. She was bewildered at his appearance. His eyes were expanded with shock as if he had just discovered something drastic.

"Commander… Captain..."

At the urgent tone Eren was using, Ida felt the pit of her stomach churn with dread. "Eren? What is it?"

"I think... I found out who the person my father was with…"

"Who is it?" Hanji demanded, already getting off her chair.

"Commandant Keith Shadis."

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

The aching in her skull ebbed and flowed like a tidal wave, yet the pain was always there. Ida exhaled wearily as she massaged her sore shoulder. Walking down the hallways of the headquarters, she found herself reliving the happenings of the day. It made her head hurt even more to internalize everything that the Survey Corps had found out from Keith Shadis.

Great, she thought wryly. Now it's even more likely that Grisha Yeager was a human from beyond the Walls…

Thinking that some sweets would help with her headache, she extracted a piece of candy from her pocket. Did Elsie know about this as well? If so, then what was she planning with Grisha? How does it all connect?

Keith Shadis had nothing to offer for that glaring question mark. The Commandant claimed they hadn't even met, but he was aware that Grisha and Elsie were acquainted. Hanji reasoned that he had no reason to lie in that regard, not when he told everything about Grisha. It was a sentiment Ida agreed with.

This damned headache too... maybe it wasn't from overworking. Could it be the Will Of Odina happening again? It was plausible, it had been a while since she had a vision.

Mother, what were you planning? What do you know?

Deep down, Ida could tell almost instinctively that the ache in her head was the answer to her questions.

Her entire body felt like shattered tracks at that thought. Misery injected through her veins when the mental imagery of Elsie Starke appeared. She yearned for the tearful relief, but they were held ransom by her pride. Exhaling a long breath, instead of unwrapping the candy, Ida slipped it back in her pocket. She didn't even feel like indulging in sweets now. Perhaps some fresh air would clear her head instead.

She pushed the door to the rooftop, welcoming the fresh inhalation of the crisp night air.

"Huh?" Ida blinked blearily when she saw another figure on the rooftop. She hadn't expected anyone else to be up here. This was her spot whenever she wanted some space. Hardly anyone came up here, apart from her and Levi.

"Ida?" Eren turned around at the sound of soft footsteps, surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? This is my spot." Ida walked to him. "I've been coming here long before you enlisted."

Eren nodded slowly, his calm exterior calm reflecting ominous concerns. "Oh, I see..."

"What about you?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest. "Aren't you usually with Mikasa and Armin?"

"I just wanted some time to myself," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Ida lifted a brow at his nervous body language. "Uhm, I can leave if you want..."

"Stay," she insisted. "I came here to clear my head as well. Don't worry, you're not bothering me."

Eren returned her intrusive stare. "How did you find this place?"

"Mhm," Ida hummed, taking in the tranquil scenery of the night sky studded with stars. She stepped nearer to the edge of the roof and stretched her arms across the railings with languid ease. "I found out about this place a few days after I enlisted. Before that, it was Levi's spot whenever he wanted to take a break."

Eren watched her with interest as she expressed enjoyment for the confined freedom.

"It was funny really. Levi and I always bumped into each other here at night. Neither of us wanted to give up our spot, and well," she smiled at him, "you can guess how that turned out."

Ida's words were laced with fondness and contention. Sans her usual sarcastic and aim-to-kill humor, Eren realized she was serious in pursuing a conversation with him. Maybe she felt sorry for him. Perhaps she wanted to hear his fiery regrets and lamentation about the predicament he was in. After all, she was there when Keith Shadis confessed everything he knew about his father.

"A fight?" he guessed, smiling sheepishly.

She directed a guilty smile towards him. "I had to admit, I was a pretty annoying brat back then. You must've found it hard to work under me too, huh? Petra was so much nicer than me."

"I don't think that way, I can understand you."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Eren said resolutely. "You're much nicer than you think."

They smiled at each other. As the comfortable silence enveloped them, Ida continued scrutinizing his side profile while he looked to the sky. Truthfully, she had always pitied him. A fifteen-year-old boy weighed by the burden of the world, damned to a cruel fate by his own father. The memories of the trial months back entered her subconscious, and Ida was suddenly reminded of how this boy – one that she had always thought of as a child – had killed two grown men before.

"Eren, I never asked you this before, but why did you enlist in the Survey Corps?"

Ida was only human in her curiosity. She'd never met anyone who could murder someone at the age of ten, although his reasons would probably hold up in the court of moral law.

He faced her with confusion raining down on his face. "To eradicate all the Titans and gain back our freedom."

His answer was simple, too simple even.

"Is freedom so important to you?"

Eren's right eyebrow twitched, and she could sense her question had struck a nerve in him. "Anyone who thinks that they can deprive others of their freedom, are nothing more than animals. Titans, and even humans for that matter, they are just animals that happen to resemble humans." Ida did not miss the clench of his fist. "We're nothing more than slaves if we don't get back our freedom. So, yes it is important."

The tone that carried his dark statement was calm, rigid, and even. But it was his expressive eyes that carried his ardent passion the most. Ida felt a shiver run down her spine. For reasons beyond her, a hollow pit that developed in her chest. Levi had always said that she shouldn't 'baby' him, and perhaps he was right.

Because now, as she looked at him clearly, Ida realized that there was a fiery fire deep within his staunch gaze. One that she recognized because she possessed it too. The flame within her that powered her to continue fighting, laying waste to everything in their paths. An all-consuming flame that was a double-edged sword.

Was freedom the reason why he killed those slave traffickers as well? Ida couldn't bring herself to ask. But she could tell it was important. It was so important to him, that his entire person was shaped by the concept of freedom.

She felt a little jealous at that thought. Truthfully even to this day, Ida didn't really care about freedom as much as Eren did and she felt ashamed. To her, nothing else mattered most than keeping the people she loved alive.

A skipped beat passed through them. Eren's next question caught her off guard. "Do you have any recollection of my father?"

"Not that I remember," she admitted sadly. "My mother hardly interacted with anyone in front of me, save our neighbors. I don't recall anyone with your father's name."

Eren sighed. "I can't remember your mother either." He stared at her, sadness reveling in his gaze. "It must be hard for you."

His words conjured a tempest that took her by complete surprise. "Then… isn't it hard for you too, Eren?" She faced the dark forest against the backdrop of the sky. "We are like two lost children in a big world, looking for their dead parents, chasing for the knowledge they knew, and trying to make sense of everything that is happening around them. But it all ends up in a messy blur that we can't comprehend."

He bobbed his head as he absorbed her words. "She didn't tell you anything as well…"

She rocked her head to the side. "No, our parents are total dicks."

Eren seemed to find odd humor in her statement. "I'm glad that we met the Commandant," he said resoundingly after a momentary pause. "I kept thinking about things that I can't change before, but I have to play my part. No matter what, I'll get back Wall Maria for humanity and reach my father's basement."

Ida chuckled, amused by his resolution. "Once again, humanity rests on your shoulders. Must be tiring, huh?"

Eren found the dark humor in it as well and he let out a bitter chuckle. "Not too long ago, when I was with Historia and Rod Reiss, I thought… I wasn't fit for this role. But then, I remembered how everyone put their lives on the line again and again to save me, and I knew I just couldn't let them down. They entrusted their hopes and dreams to me. I can't let it all go to waste."

"If it makes you feel any better, I for one, think that you are best suited for this role."

He glanced at her. "Why?"

"Because when I look at you, I feel that…" she gave him a warm, assuring smile, "…you are humanity's hope."

Eren smiled back at her appreciatively. Maybe he knew that she was trying to comfort him and to inspire some confidence.

"But Eren," she continued, "I think you already realized this, although I don't necessarily believe relying on just yourself is a completely bad thing, but there are a lot of people around you who will help you."

"I know," Eren replied. "I know that the Survey Corps will always support me."

"And I will always stand by you."

Eren smiled softly and nodded. Natural silence had spread across the rooftop, but the calm and peacefulness felt terrifying to her. She'd never felt such uncertainty and calamity in the safe haven of her rooftop spot before. Maybe it was because she knew that both of them were thinking of the Shiganshina district, the place that was once their home.

"Thank you," Eren said appreciatively, breaking the silence. "I swear to you, we will take back our home those bastards stole from us that day, find out whatever our parents wanted to tell us, and gain back our freedom."

She looked away, feeling a shot of personalized pain through her chest. Ida closed her eyes and attempted to breathe through the fluid aches of her heart. The long-hidden childhood images of her home at Shiganshina appeared from her cherished memory bank. She could see it, feel it even.

The streets. The people. The buildings. The smells. The sights. The sounds.

Elsie Starke.

It was almost as if she was back in the past again. Before the day Wall Maria was breached and her life took a drastic turn for the worse. She was much younger then, innocent and sheltered against the harsh reality of the world.

Like a lotus flower, she thought morosely. Oblivious to the pains her mother took to protect her and her family's true nature, she planted her roots in the murkiest of waters, ignorant of the filth beneath, and bloomed exquisitely.

Both of them would return to their city a different person, hardened by cruelty, sharpened by knowledge, and blackened by resentment.

All that was preventing them from taking back their home was one last battle. A battle that would pollute the field of Shiganshina with cold despair, before finally emerging with a sin called victory that was built on the pain and blood of the defeated and fallen.

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

It was bad enough that he was pressed for time. With the expedition to Wall Maria's looming closer, the meetings scheduled were endless. There were so many things to approve and so many shitty training sessions to conduct. The future of the Survey Corps was relying on the successful retrieval of Wall Maria. Perhaps even the survival of humanity itself.

He was reviewing medical records one afternoon as a final preparation, but Levi was finding it hard to concentrate. Especially when he had a redhead glaring at him from across his desk.

Fuck this.

Unable to ignore her any longer, Levi exhaled sharply. "Don't you have better things to do than sitting in my office, wasting your life away?"

"I've completed all my duties and I've some free time before my next training session," Ida countered frostily. "And if we're talking about wasting your life away, you've been cooped up in this office for days."

Levi drew another file. "I'm busy, brat."

"Busy with what?"

He exhaled heavily through his nose when he opened the file. Ida was being particularly annoying today and he had a good idea why.

"Reviewing medical records."

"Can't you get someone else to do it?" she asked. "Aren't you Captain and all?"

He finished skimming the first page and put a tick next to the soldier's name. He closed the file and monotonously reached out for another. A hand landed on top of his stack of files. Levi tried to take the file on top, but it wouldn't budge. He looked up, meeting Ida glare for glare.

Probably realizing that he wasn't going to react the way she wanted him to, Ida sighed loudly.

"Why don't you take a break?" she suggested, retracting her hand back. "Tea, maybe?"

"I'm fine," he said, flipping the file. "I need to get this done quickly, I have a meeting later at Trost Garrison."

"Another meeting?" Ida repeated. Her tone indicated she wasn't particularly pleased with that information. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Levi looked up from his paperwork and glared at her. Why didn't anyone tell her? The damn nerve of this shitty brat. It wasn't as if she would come.

"Never mind, I don't want to go," she said hastily with a pout, folding her arms. "I hate seeing those scummy bastards."

He snorted, already expecting that answer. "I figured."

A lingering silence moved between them as Ida stared thoughtfully at him while he worked. Levi could guess what was making her so angsty this afternoon. For the past few days, their work schedules had clashed. In between the tedious paperwork, training, and meetings, and with Ida actively taking a role as an instructor, they hardly had any time to see each other apart from dinner and when they head to bed.

Levi knew that couldn't be helped. They were already short on time as it is. But it wasn't to say it was distracting. Ida was wildly distracting in fact. He felt her eyes blistering into the side of his skull. He tried his best to portray a stern expression on his face and push himself towards a feeling of anger at how she childishly was behaving.

He should be pissed that she was behaving this way.

Why the fuck didn't he feel angrier?

Who was he kidding; Levi knew exactly why. His gaze wandered to her in a subtle manner. Truth to be told, he liked it when she was actively seeking his attention like this. Because it proved something. It proved that Ida needed him as much as he needed her.

Fuck, he cursed inwardly, appalled at his own train of thoughts and the imaginary flutter in his stomach. This was seriously getting out of hand. They were both fucking idiots for acting like this. He had gotten too fucking soft.

What had one started out a mere possessiveness had now grown to a hunger so deep, Levi ached with it.

"Don't you think you've been neglecting me?" Ida broke the silence, seemingly unable to bear it for any longer. "I've been sitting here for nearly an hour and it's amazing how many documents keep popping out."

"What are you, five? Stop throwing a tantrum," he said pointedly. "You know as well as I do that we have shit to do."

"Heichou gives more attention than you do," she complained, scoffing. "You're losing to a shitty dog, Levi."

He smirked inwardly at her manner of speech but kept his impassive expression. Comparing him to a dog? Tsk, the damn cheek of hers.

Ida seemed to be gazing at him with that still peculiar look in her eyes that he just couldn't quite fathom. It wasn't until she sighed loudly, and her tone dropped to a despondent whisper did he realize it was disappointment. "We haven't been spending much time together for the past couple of days..."

Shit. There it was, that damn pout again.

His hand swept through his hair and looked back to his file. The more he didn't look at her and that subtle bite to her lower lip, the better. He had work to do and God knows what a good distraction Ida was. "I'm almost done."

Iris Kanner, he read the name on the file. Transferred from the Garrison. He was about to approve of it when suddenly his view was blocked. Ida had shifted herself between the small space between his body and his desk and sat on his lap sideways.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked flatly with a raised brow. "Have your ears been malfunctioning the whole time? I'm busy."

Ida turned her head and her green eyes latched onto his again, and there seemed to be a new sort of emotion flickering there, although he couldn't detect exactly what. "Nothing, I just felt like sitting here."

He felt a nerve jump in his throat. Shit. Getting Ida to stop pestering him was harder than he'd anticipated. How the fuck was he going to work when she was acting this way?

"I can't even see the paperwork, Ida," he groaned irritably. "Kindly get the fuck off me."

She pouted at his cold command. "The view in front of you is much more beautiful now."

Despite his internal turmoil, his cold grey eyes remained glued to Ida's pretty features, trying to glean what she was thinking. So far, she was doing a very good job of keeping her emotions to herself, only displaying an innocent façade.

Damn, she really was beautiful.

An ominous feeling came over him like crows spiraling frantically across the desolate sky. If he kept his woman here with him, she'll undoubtedly shake him to the very core of his being.

"Ida…" Levi groaned and swallowed as subtly as he could manage. "I have work to do."

"Just take a small break and accompany me for a while? We can have tea." she pleaded in a melancholic voice, readjusting his cravat. "I missed you, we hardly talk nowadays."

He watched her deliberate fingers finding the end of her braid when he didn't reply. A red blush had graced the pale skin of her cheeks. Fuck. Levi daren't stare at her any longer. His palms were getting itchy, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he knew it was because they longed to be planted firmly on her waist as he kissed those perfectly soft lips of hers. It wouldn't end with just a kiss though, he knew. Right now what he needed was restraint.

Slinging his arm around her back of her knees and another arm on the back, Levi promptly rose from his seat. He carried her to his couch and set her down, patting her head once. "Idiot. Just shut up and stay here, I'll be done soon. Seriously, every little thing about you is a bother."

Ida gaped at him when he went back to his desk and continued working. She blinked a few times as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. This was no doubt an epic failure on her part. Levi didn't miss the badly hidden embarrassment on her gawking expression, and he knew what was coming.

"Looks like I am more a bother here than anything," Ida declared angrily, rising to her feet. "Forget it I am leaving.

Storming to the door, she swung it open. She paused when she saw Erwin outside the door, his hand positioned in the air to knock.

"Ida?" Erwin prompted gently, blue eyes observing how angry she looked. "You were here as well?"

"What are you doing here?" Ida asked sulkily.

"I came to get Levi. We're supposed to go for a meeting."

"Alright," Levi said from behind his desk, shutting his file. "Let's go, Erwin."

More disheartened by the fact that Levi was so quick to jump onto work but couldn't even spare a few minutes with her, Ida glared at Erwin. "You know, on second thought, I hate you too."

"What?" Erwin blinked, watching her cautiously as Ida stormed past him, mumbling something that sounded like curses underneath her breath.

When she was gone, Erwin looked back at Levi, his expression indicating that he was looking for answers to her behavior. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing," Levi scoffed softly. He readjusted his cravat carefully, taking his time to form his next words. "Just another one of her tantrums."

Though Levi's tone was impassive and flat, Erwin could've sworn he saw an amused smirk on his lips when he walked past him.

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

Fingers wrapped around a screwdriver, Ida fiddled with the gear part in her hand. She exhaled exasperatedly, rubbing her sore shoulder. A lone candle at the table provided her with sufficient light in the dark storage room. She glanced back at the dismantled gear on the table before her with a disapproving frown.

Tsk. Damned brats these days, don't they know how expensive gears are?

Stretching her arms out in exhaustion, Ida continued working on fixing the broken gear that a rambunctious recruit had spoiled today during her training session. She sighed. The date to retake Wall Maria was a few days away. Gods know how many recruits would survive then.

The best scenario was that their enemies were not at Shiganshina. But then again, Erwin's predictions were always frighteningly accurate.

Feeling a plethora of despondent emotions flying at her, Ida shook her head and hurried with fixing the gear. Let's finish this and get some much-needed sleep.

When she finished assembling the gear back, Ida started to put it away. She bent down into the shelves, carefully placing the gear back. Lost in her own clouds of thoughts, she didn't even realize she had company. It wasn't until he cleared his throat loudly that she crashed back to reality.

Startled, Ida jolted, her head bumping onto the shelving.

"Ow!" she cried, straightening her back while she cradled her head.

"Moron," Levi rushed to her side. "Why the hell are you so clumsy?"

She glared at him and swatted his hand away irritably. "You scared me, who creeps up on people at night?!"

It might've been because he realized she was still angry at him, but Levi cleverly steered the topic to something else. "It's midnight, what are you doing up so late? Did you forget we have a joint training session early in the morning?"

"I could say the same for you," she grumbled, making a sour face. "I'm going to bed now, goodnight, sir."

Levi exhaled sharply as if she was a lost cause and immediately changed the subject. He seemed to do that a lot whenever a silent treatment became imminent on her part.

"I got some new tea leaves while I was out in town today," he suddenly said. With a stoic expression, Levi threw a bag of sweets that he was holding at her. "Take it. It was convenient that the shop sold it too."

She caught it with ease, blinking in surprise. Migrating her suspicious gaze away from the bag of sweets and back to Levi's trademark scowling expression, she lifted a brow. "You don't really think I'm a pig that will forgive you just because you threw a bunch of candy at me, do you?"

As anticipated, Ida watched Levi's expression turn grim. He took his scowling eyes off her and scoffed. Clearly having lost his composure as well, Levi combated Ida's fighting words with comebacks of his own. "Do whatever you want with it then. I don't give a shit either way—"

"Kidding." Ida chuckled and grabbed his hand to prevent him from leaving. He glowered at her, but that only caused her toothy grin to spread. "Oh man, your expressions are classic."

His scowling expression turned darker when he realized she was playing with him. She wanted to laugh in his face, yet she found it impossible when he stared deep into her eyes.

Truth to be told, she was hell-bent on continuing this silent treatment until she blew off some steam. But she couldn't now. Not when she knew that the sweet shop was no way near the tea shop. Contrary to his words, Levi must have made a detour to get her some. This was his way of apologizing.

"You're such a damn kid," he said firmly with a sigh.

"Then why do you still like me?" she asked coyly with an entertained smirk. "But thanks, you shouldn't have."

Levi nodded stiffly and said nothing. Something else caught his interest when he glanced at the table behind her. Swiping a finger on the table, he rubbed his index and thumb together before he scowled. "Tch, this place is filthy. Which imbecile is on cleaning duty for this area?"

She had to stifle a giggle. Some things would never change with Levi.

"No idea," she shrugged, "but I can clean it tomorrow if you want. I've some free time after the joint exercise."

"Forget it, I'll get some of the new brats to do it," Levi grumbled, already taking out his handkerchief to wipe his hand. When he was done, he looked at her with an arched brow. "Aren't you going to eat it now?"

"Huh?"

He nodded to the brown paper bag in her hand. "That. You usually gobble down that shit in a matter of seconds."

"Oh, I'm not really feeling sweets nowadays."

Apparently that remark must have really surprised him because he touched her forehead. "Are you sick?"

"No." Her body warmed at how concerned he was. She placed her hands on his chest while Levi held her waist. When she saw how he was frowning, she tried to give him an assurance that would placate his worries. "Just a little tired. Maybe I should stretch my body and be more active. All I've been doing is training brats. Why are you up so late?"

"Not unusual for me."

"Since you're not sleeping yet," her hands moved down to clasp his wrist, "want to do something with me?"

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

"Your posture is shit."

Levi lifted his arms to block the punch that Ida aimed for his face. Pain rippled in his arm from her powerful blow. After another unsuccessful assault, Ida stumbled backward, glaring daggers in his direction. He recognized the look in her green eyes, she was getting frustrated.

He moved behind her, and she felt a firm hand at her back. Levi applied light pressure and pulled her arm back towards him, forcing her to stand straighter. "Don't let your shoulders drop, you'll land a stronger hit that way. Your defensive stance is just as important as your offensive."

"This really brings back really shitty memories," Ida grumbled sourly, clearly displeased at the results. She hadn't been able to land a hit on him yet. "I shouldn't have asked you to spar with me."

They were in the empty training fields. The moonlight gleamed down on the grassy fields as candle lamp posts flickered around them. The sky was black tranquillity married to a poetry of stars. All around them, crickets sang a choir that serenaded the moon. There was not a soul in sight save them.

Levi scoffed and pulled her hands upwards, correcting her stance. "Keep it like this," he instructed firmly and released her. He nodded when she did so. "Better."

He moved further from her. "Big movements aren't efficient. Don't try to face every move your opponent makes, especially since you're so simple-minded."

"You're such a jerk," she complained. "You won't even go easy on me!"

"If I go easy on you, you'll think that I'm looking down on you," Levi deadpanned, circling her to appraise her stance. "Stop sulking, brat."

"It's not fair," Ida expelled a heavy breath. Weariness was set in her voice. "It must be those Ackerman genes of yours!"

If there was one thing Levi realized about Ida, it was that she could be oddly childish when her pride was hurt. Crossing his arms, he glared at her. "I wasn't the damn one who insisted on a shitty sparring session in the middle of the night."

"Fight me for real then, no holding back," Ida suddenly said, taking advantage of this moment to prove a point she had been dying to make.

He looked at her strangely. "Did you just say something ridiculous again?"

"Fight me," Ida repeated seriously, desperate to show him that she was not as weak as he made her out to be. Her eyes roamed ahead to the empty fields, determined to make it their battleground. "Whoever falls first loses."

Levi studied her with caution. She was being serious, and she wasn't about to back down. He expelled a sharp breath and shrugged his jacket off. "Fine," he agreed, rolling his sleeves up. "Give it your best then."

The wind picked up when he got into a stance. Around them, trees and plants were rustling while Ida rested her eyes upon Levi. He stood approximately ten feet across from her, meeting her glare evenly. At this moment in time, as he stood before her as an opponent rather than her lover, Ida felt the competitive energy surge inside her.

Strangely, she felt like she was staring at a natural enemy, not her soulmate. She quickly shrugged the odd thought.

"Don't you dare go easy on me, Levi," she growled. "It's time to settle this once and for all."

He smirked, clearly finding her to be dramatic. Nonetheless, Levi was prepared to humor her.

"I will make sure your fall from grace is a rough one," he promised, the arrogance brimming in his gray eyes.

They circled each other, every muscle on guard. Both never took their watchful eyes off each other. Ida couldn't help but be cautious of his every move and his every breath. This man was the strongest and one of the deadliest soldiers. Every time she saw Levi fight, he always went in one direction, always forwards toward the prey. All offense.

"Let's have some fun," she declared before charging at him and setting the battle into motion.

She formed her hands into tight grips and launched herself at him. Levi defended with her first blow with ease. But not the second. She dug her fingers into the bicep of his swinging arm and ripped at the muscle, while striking the forearm on the same side, straight in with the heel of her palm.

Levi backpedaled. To his credit, he didn't even grimace in pain. He quickly got back on track as Ida anticipated. He swept the foundation with his leg, and she jumped in time. Ida was too triumphant in dodging that kick that she hadn't realized that Levi was already launching his next move.

She sensed him behind him, and she whirled around, hastily throwing a punch. It missed him by just an inch. Before she could retreat and gain back her posture, he grabbed her wrist, garland his arm around her waist, and pulled her to him. Her eyes expanded in shock. She met his haunting gray eyes, suddenly breathless at the sight of his face so close to her. He was looking at her as if he was looking at a prized prey he had caught.

Ida swallowed dryly when Levi pulled her closer to him. His lips slightly curled in amusement when he said, "You can't hurt me, brat. Let's stop this before you get hurt."

The sudden tension she felt disappeared and anger rose inside her. Levi had never even planned on fighting her properly in the first place. She knew he cared for her, but it infuriated her all the same. She wanted him to know what she was capable of. She wanted him to know that she was not to be taken lightly.

With a devious plan, she reached up with her free hand to touch his face. "Handsy one aren't you, Captain? But I must say, I do like it when you hold me like this."

His eyes expanded slightly. Amusement flickered in his gray eyes. His hand lingered down her back for a moment, his eyes still fixed on hers. Ida had seen that look in his gray eyes before. She knew what it meant.

She smiled sweetly at him, throwing him off guard when she propelled her head forward and pounded him right on the forehead.

Bam!

She nearly blacked out from the impact. Levi did not fare well from the sudden attack either.

"Fuck!" he cursed, stumbling away from her in disbelief. Thankfully, Levi was able to steady himself in time to look back at her in complete shock.

Discombobulated, Ida ignored the painful throbbing in her forehead and grinned at him. She was surprised she was having fun. Her competitive blood heaved in exhilaration, and she wanted to win against the almighty Humanity's Strongest.

Levi scoffed loudly when he saw her arrogant smile. Despite his reticence with battling her, she could also see now that he was intrigued by this challenge.

"Don't regret this, shitty brat," he growled. "You asked for this."

He wasted no more time, Levi chased after her. She parried his blow, her pain running from her forearms to her shoulders. Ida swung her fist in his direction. Levi ducked and drew upright, lightly elbowing her away from her. He still would not use his full strength with her, and this amused her. She would show him.

The sparring session kicked up a notch with blows and kicks being exchanged. Neither one was backing down.

"Come on Ida, fucking impress me," he taunted, causing her frustration to skyrocket.

"Shut up, you midget bastard!"

A roundabout kick later, Levi skillfully dodged out of the way. He backpedaled, with Ida pushing in more aggressively. She was getting hyped by how she was cornering him when Levi suddenly made an offensive move. The smirk of disbelief was still plastered on his face. Levi clearly did not anticipate this 'battle' to take this long. Although he appeared to be having fun dueling with her, he looked intent on making sure it ended soon.

A punch was thrown, right to her shoulder. Ida yelped in pain and stumbled back. Levi always had incredible strength. Not wasting the opportunity, Levi followed up his elbow and aimed for her jaw. She pulled away just as his elbow grazed her chin, almost knocking her off balance. He quickly circled behind. Still trying to recover, Ida gasped and followed him, but it was yet another mistake of hers.

He grabbed her arm that she swung behind and pinned it to her back. His other arm snaked around her neck from behind. She was captured again.

Gritting her teeth as she felt the pressure on her arm pinned to her back, Ida bit back a groan of pain.

She felt his hot breath glide down her earlobe when Levi spoke, "I told you so, brat."

It might be because of the blows, but she suddenly felt weak in his hold. She could feel his firm body pressed to her from behind. Ida gulped, her mind was suddenly flustered and one way.

"I hate you, asshole," she murmured, blushing furiously when she felt another hot breath glide down her neck.

Using her free hand, she reached up and held his muscular arm around her neck and tilted her head behind slightly so she could look at him.

Levi's doting eyes observed her under the moonlight. "Are you done yet? Or shall we continue?"

She smiled at the affection and amusement in his gaze. Ida didn't miss how he was purposely holding back. Despite his words and arrogant expression, Levi was afraid to hurt her.

"Hmm… I think there are better things to do now," she whispered suggestively.

She felt his firm hold on the hand that was forcibly pinned to her back loosen and he released her. Her arm he was holding fell to her side.

With her other hand, she gripped his strong arm around her neck, and they stared at each other, never breaking their eye contact. Both knew what they wanted. Ida swallowed with need, feeling downright tempted with his mouth so close to hers. At that moment, nothing concerned her but Levi and his gorgeous lips. She breathed with shallow breaths, her eyes becoming dilated with longing.

She did not say anything to refuse, and he took this as his cue. Levi feathered his lips over hers, gentle and loving. The throbbing pain she felt disappeared from the forefront of her mind. Overwhelmed by the surge of euphoria that rang through her, she let out a murmur of approval.

"Aren't we supposed to be fighting?" she asked breathlessly against the touch of his lips. "Neither of us has fallen yet."

"Didn't you say there were better things to do?" he whispered hoarsely in between their soft kisses, cradling an already spellbound Ida close to him.

She broke the kiss and made a movement to turn around. Levi released her from his hold. She peered up at him, loving how he looked underneath the moonlight.

"I changed my mind," she murmured, looking at him with sincerity as she subtly ran a hand down his chest. "If you want to hurry, why don't you let me knock you off your feet just once?"

He scoffed softly, clearly impressed with the stubborn competitive resilience she was showing even at this moment. However, that was not enough for him to show mercy. Levi wanted this game to end, and if it meant that he had to sweep her off her feet, figuratively and literally, then so be it.

Levi moved closer to her, watching as Ida's eyes followed his every movement. "Remember what I promised?"

"Mhmm?" she murmured distractedly, trapped under his intense gaze.

"I'll make sure that your fall from grace is a rough one," he deadpanned, stuck his foot in between her legs, and tripped her.

But Levi had underestimated Ida again. A prideful brat like her could never have that. In retaliation, she tried to hook an arm around his neck to use him to regain her equilibrium. However, in the process of doing this, she tripped over a small rock, lost her footing, and fell backward.

"Shit!"

In fear of her landing on her head, Levi jumped after her and caught her before she collided with the ground. He wrapped his arms around her and fell backward, allowing her to fall onto the cushion of his body instead.

A few moments of silence perused between them as they caught their breaths. Shortly after, Ida laughed when she realized he was the one who hit the ground first.

"I think you just lost," she whispered in amusement.

He took in another sharp, painful breath and cursed to himself. "Damn it, Ida," Levi uttered with frustration. "That's the first shit you care about?"

She adjusted herself, sitting on rock hard abs while he laid on the ground. She placed her hands on his chest and hovered over him. "Why did you take the fall for me? Did you let me win?"

"Why do you think I did that?" he grumbled irritably.

"I don't know," she whispered coyly, and leaned down closer to him, her lips nearly touching his. "Why don't you tell me in detail...?"

His eyes flicked back up to hers, and she noticed his breathing quicken. Any shred of anguish was obliterated from his countenance. It was evident he had found the remedy for his pain, having only noticed the provocative position they were in now. He reached up to run his rough fingers through her tousled hair. Moving his fingers to the back of her neck, she felt a slight pressure pulling her towards his. He assessed the rustled look in her eyes and saw the lust within them.

"You know the answer already."

She smiled at his rough words when he finally pulled her towards him and crushed her lips to hers. His kiss was hot with intention, intoxicating by nature, and utterly mind-consuming. It was her wildest fantasy brought to life. She cursed herself for denying him this wonderful moment for so long, but she was grateful they could bask in it now.

Drowning in the kiss, Ida felt a soft low groan in his throat. A flash of white-hot sensation cascaded over her. While continuing to lock his lips with hers, he sat up and Ida instinctively wrapped her legs around him, hands fisting on her shirt. His rough hands roved down her back, hot and needy, and sending tingles up her spine.

Levi finally forced himself to break away from their kiss. As reluctant as he was to put a halt to their current situation, he was also very aware of where they were at and all the damn dirt around.

"This feels oddly familiar," she said lightheartedly, breathless from their kiss. From the way his pulse jumped in his neck, she was pleased to know it had an effect on him

She nipped his nose with him, and his hands found their way to her hips before he could catch himself. The Walls help him. How was he going to resist her when she was behaving like this? What the actual fuck happened to discipline?

"Get off me Ida," he instructed firmly, attempting to return his voice to his usual bored tone despite his hammering heart in his chest. "Or do you plan on ravaging me in the training fields?"

Ida's face flushed red, and she climbed off him. They stood up. Levi was dusting the bits of grass stuck to him when she said something.

"Way to spoil the mood," she mumbled, swatting the grass of her. "You're always boring when it comes to situations like this."

"Tch, boring?" Levi snapped, showing very openly how unhappy he was that she had the nerve to say something like that.

"Yeah," she blinked, unfazed. "Boring."

Levi scoffed disbelievingly at Ida's childish labeling of him. She ignored it and started to walk back to the dormitory. "I'm heading to bed."

Rough fingers on her wrist prevented her escape. Any sense of her control obliterated at her insult. His pride wouldn't let this night end like this. Not when she had left his emotions in a hot mess. He pulled her to him.

As if expecting him to do this, Ida didn't even seem surprised at his reaction.

"Someone's offended," she said insultingly.

Encircling her arms around his neck, Levi held her against him with eagerness. "There are better things we can do in a perfectly clean bed."

Ida smiled cunningly, assessing the hazy glint in his eyes. He really was fun to tease.

She leaned forward, nearly grazing his lips with hers when—

"Let's get back before someone finds us baby—oh shit!"

Levi and Ida snapped out of their impending kiss to see two new recruits walk into the training fields from the forest. The two recruits, one male and another female, stopped in stunned silence upon seeing them. They quickly let go of each other's hands and paled. Simultaneously, Ida immediately untangled herself from Levi.

Rage entered Levi's eyes when he realized they fucked up their romantic moment with their presence.

"What the hell are you brats doing here?" he asked them heatedly.

"Uh… exploring?" the male recruit said nervously, clearly wishing that they had taken another route through the forest. The female recruit nodded, blushing immensely. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere but there, in the fields with an angry Captain and his significant other.

Levi was appalled by their idiocy, namely the male recruit's. "It's past fucking curfew and you're here fucking 'exploring' with your fellow recruit?"

They laughed fretfully before the male recruit said, "S – Sorry about that, sir! We'll head back now!"

One second they were there and the next, all Ida could see was a whoosh of brown clothes running off in the direction of the dormitory. Ida watched them disappear with a red blush on her cheeks.

After a few passing breaths, she said, "It seems that we aren't the only one sneaking around at night."

He glared at her, feeling his control return as a result of the distraction. "God damn it," he cursed bitterly, his teeth in a fierce grit. "Damn shitty brats."

Knowing that Levi preferred to keep their relationship under wraps, Ida shrugged weakly with a secret smile. "They won't spread any rumors. And it's not like everyone doesn't know about us already. It's just that no one says anything."

He scrutinized her, his face becoming inquisitive.

"You are fucking enjoying this aren't you?" Levi accused morosely, raking his finger through his hair.

Ida raised a brow at his tone and laughed light-heartedly.

"Well, if you must call me out like this… then yes, I enjoy it immensely." She cracked a sincere smile. "I don't really mind, because I want everyone to know that you're mine."

A pause skipped through them before Levi scoffed to himself at her reply.

But with the way his lips wavered slightly upwards, Ida knew that he agreed with her too.

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

Damn it.

Damn her shitty luck.

Panic clutched her when she registered the time. Anxiety lacing her blood, she rocketed through the training fields to the dense forest where most of the legion was. This was what she got for sleeping so late at night! Worse still, she had to be late when it was a joint exercise for all the squads and when she was one of the instructors too!

After being scolded numerous times by Levi for being late in the past, Ida was desperate to get there on time. The last thing she wanted to do was endure another speech about tardiness and responsibilities from him.

Her eyes snagged onto the crowd of soldiers, promptly lined up in front of the instructors. "Oh God, finally!"

Tentatively, she braced herself and walked to the front to confront her fate. When she arrived, she saw that Levi was in a conversation with Mobilt and Hanji. How the hell did he look so awake in the morning? He hardly got any sleep last night too.

Please, please, don't notice that I'm late, she prayed.

"You're late," Levi snapped blithely the moment he spotted her. "You held up everyone."

This heartless jerk, she mentally cursed. She was dating him; doesn't that warrant a bit of bias and leniency?! Where were all the benefits and leeway that came from being his lover? Not to mention, the reason why she slept so late was because of him! He didn't even wake her up!

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, flicking her messy braid across her shoulder. "Won't happen again."

"Good morning, Ida!" Hanji waved enthusiastically from behind him, grinning. "Late as always, I see!"

Ida grimaced sullenly at her. Clearly, she couldn't read the mood.

His observant gray eyes scanned her figure. Levi grunted loudly and shook his head, promptly readying another lecture. "You look like a shitty pig that just rolled out of bed, your unkempt attire—"

He stopped abruptly and a wash of silence hung over them. Levi's brows drew together, and his eyes widened slightly. His stare was pinned on her shirt. Ida felt her pulse race, why did she have a bad feeling about this? Apart from her hastily thrown on uniform, there was nothing worth noting on her person.

Was the clean freak stunned from her messy attire? It was plausible. This was Levi she was talking about. Nevertheless, Levi never got less intimidating, and knowing him, he was hardly stunned about anything.

"Levi?" she urged hesitantly. "You okay?"

The lost stupor that was present on Levi's countenance vanquished. He muttered a string of expletives, confusing her even further. Before Ida could even ask another question, he grabbed onto her wrist and led her deeper into the forest. "Hanji start the training first."

She allowed him to drag her deeper into the forest, their heavy gears making a noise as they walked.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked, gazing at Levi's back with worried eyes.

He stopped and whirled around to face her. His expression was dark. Ida's brow inverted in confusion. She didn't understand why he was behaving this way. "If this is about me being late—"

"It's not that," he interrupted flatly. A hand swept through his dark hair, the strands falling at once back across his troubled gaze. "Fuck, you can't go back to change we are late as it is."

Anxiously, Ida shifted on her feet and crossed her arms across her chest. "What in all the walls are you talking about?"

Levi stared at her before he threw his head back and cursed at the sky under his breath. In one swift movement, his fingers reached for his cravat and he started to undo it with haste. "Tch, damn it, Ida."

"What are you doing now?" she demanded. "Didn't you say we are late? We can't hold up the entire legion because of your clean freak tendencies—"

"There's something on the base of your neck," he cut in abruptly, his impatience with her ignorance apparent.

She paused. That was when it all aligned for her. Levi wasn't looking at her shirt just now, but at her neck. The sudden realization morphed on her expression. Horrified, her hands moved to clasped themselves on her neck. Oh my fucking God! It can't be what she was thinking, but Levi's expression was a clear indication that it was exactly what it was.

Levi wrapped his cravat around her neck and started to tie it with skill and efficiency. A furious blush waltzed on her cheeks when she remembered the events of last night. Shit, she wanted to bury herself in a Titan's stomach. Ida could only hope no one saw it yet. It was a fat hope but maybe she could pass it off as a mosquito bite.

"This is your fault."

"You stupidly waltzed in front of the bloody legion with that," he reminded with a derisive scowl. "Great job. Didn't you even notice that shit?"

"I was late! I hardly even had time to dress up or look at myself in the mirror, sir!" she defended herself. Narrowing her eyes, Ida was reminded of something else. "And speaking of being late, why didn't you wake me up?"

She peered up at the impassive eyes of Levi as he silently wrapped the cravat and adjusted it on her neck to cover up the stupid mark he left on her. He was quiet for a moment longer, as though to gather his thoughts, before he spoke again.

"You looked like you could use the rest, so I let you sleep longer," he explained carefully, his tone unbidden, flat, and holding no emotions. But Ida knew him better than that, she didn't miss how his voice dropped significantly.

She scoffed and lifted her head up so that he could tie his cravat on her quicker. "How considerate of you. You enjoy watching me sleep, don't you?"

Levi fought back a disgusted snort. "No, do I look like the sort of person that has time for that shit? You were drooling like a filthy pig."

Her eyebrows slid upwards and she couldn't help but chuckle quietly. She really has to be the only one who finds his abrasive manner of speech adorable. "You know, sometimes I do appreciate how much of an abrupt pain in the ass you can be."

"Huh." The corners of his mouth wavered slightly. "I could say the same for you, brat."

Smoothing the folds of the cravat he wore for her, Levi stepped back when he was done. Ida found herself smiling faintly when she gazed at the stony-faced Captain. He looked odd without the cravat, but she couldn't deny how special she felt at this moment.

"Thanks for this," she said, touching the cravat. Her stomach fluttered when she saw him arched a brow.

He grunted at her and made a movement to head back to where the rest of the legion was at. "Today's training exercise is important, focus. Thunder Spears are dangerous even to the user, I don't want any incidents. It'd be a pain to clean up."

She nodded obediently. "Understood. But aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" he grumbled.

She tip-toed and kissed his cheek. "Good morning, Levi."

Levi blinked in surprise, but he didn't seem to hate it. More likely, from the way his lips were wavering, she knew he enjoyed it. Before he could say anything else, Ida hurried down the path through the forest.

Needless to say, by the time she arrived back to the legion, curious eyes wandered to her and the infamous Captain's trademark cravat on her neck. But when Levi appeared behind her, his expression grim and stiff, everyone lowered their gaze, knowing better than to ask.

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

Rubbing her aching back, Ida sighed. Gods, what wouldn't she do for a long soak in the tub. With the sparring session last night and her demonstration in the training session today, she was worn out. She sat on a rock near the forest, adjusting her cravat. With the afternoon sun beaming down through the forage of the trees, the day was significantly hotter.

"Ma'am."

She looked up from the ground. Floch was approaching her. "My squad has used up all their assigned Thunder Spears."

"Good," she nodded. "Go report to your Squad Leader, training has ended."

"Uhm… are you okay? You look rather pale."

Pale? She knew that she was fair, but not to a point that it would make her look sick. "I'm just taking a rest."

Ida had thought that he would leave after hearing that, but Floch lingered around her. She watched him warily as he shifted his foot to another one. "Anything else?"

"Uhm… I wanted to thank you for the demonstration," Floch said with nervous laughter. "Your skills are as amazing as they were rumored to be, you were so quick I could hardly see you."

Ida folded her arms and rose to her feet. "If you think that I'm good, wait till you see Captain Levi."

"With the both of you around and Eren, we will surely get back Wall Maria!" Floch's sentence carried an unusual amount of enthusiasm. "I'm prepared to dedicate my heart to this cause, ma'am!"

Her face became stonier than usual. As strange as it sounded, as she looked at him, Ida was reminded of the days in the past when she had just enlisted. The days when she carried such an unbridled amount of ignorance, foolishness, and confidence.

No wonder Levi always thought of me as an ignorant brat.

Ida schooled her features. "You have never been beyond the walls, have you?"

Floch huffed, before clearing his throat awkwardly. "No…" The word settled quietly in the air between them. "I was from the Garrison, but I do know what Titans look like! I was a survivor of Trost!"

She flashed him a small smile. "Are you scared of them?"

"What? Of course not! We have the Thunder Spears—"

"You should be," Ida stated, her words hard and stiff. "You must fear them. Someone once told me fear makes you less stupid. Because when you're confident, it's because you don't know anything yet. The lands beyond the walls are unpredictable, especially with those Titan Shifters out there. One slip up, and you're dead. You should remember that because your life depends on it. But you mustn't fear death either. 'Dedicating your hearts', do you know what it means here? It means to die when it's necessary. You should always be prepared for it, Forster. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She watched him carefully through her speech. When Levi had once said similar words to her on the first expedition, she held a grudge against him. But maybe these words would save his life in the future. Compared to that, any ill feelings were irrelevant.

"I…" Floch was having a hard time forming his words. "…understand..."

She nodded curtly. "Good. Go report to your Squad Leader."

Leaving Floch in the forest, Ida emerged back to the training fields. She had the rest of the day free. Exhausted, she quickly decided to take a small nap. However, before Ida could disappear back to the confines of her room, she spotted her squad huddled together behind a wooden plank that acted as a shield. A few yards in front of them were dummies that Mobilt had placed up to act as targets.

Strange. Training was already over. Eren had already left with Hanji to conduct some last-minute experiments on crystalizing his knuckles. What on earth were they doing?

After observing them for a few moments, Ida realized they were whispering to each other. Her eyes narrowed to suspicious silts.

Oh no, don't tell me…

"What are you guys doing?" she asked. "Training is over."

Her squad stiffened at the sound of her voice and made no moves to face her. Not a good sign. They were definitely up to no good. Rolling her eyes at their silent response, Ida walked to the front of her squad. A loud gasp escaped her when she saw Connie – who was kneeling behind the wooden plank – with a Thunder Spear attached to his gear handles. He waved sheepishly at her like a meek mouse that just got caught.

Before she could get a word in, Mikasa provided the explanation. "Connie wanted to have another go with the Thunder Spears, he kept missing his aim just now, but he made a bet that he could aim it better than Jean."

"How did you even get that?" Ida demanded instantly. "Thunder Spears are strictly authorized weapons. It isn't like gears."

When they didn't reply to her and shifted their nervous gaze away, Ida urged for a reply. "Well?"

Jean laughed awkwardly and rubbed his neck. "Uh… Sasha stole one while Mobilt-san wasn't looking…"

Ida released a sharp gasp and zeroed in on Sasha, but the brunette had already disappeared behind Mikasa with a loud yelp for help.

Heavens help her. Sasha had upgraded from stealing potatoes to Thunder Spears. Her swiping skills were certainly admirable in a sense. Ida massaged her temples and groaned inwardly.

"Oh my god…" she grumbled. "What do you think you're doing? Not to mention, you can't be firing it at the training fields without an instructor—"

"But you're here now aren't you?" Jean rebutted with a sheepish grin. "Plus, didn't you say Connie needed to have a better aim?"

"That's not the point," Ida snarled, glaring at him. "This is an open field, and this is unauthorized usage. If it hits someone—"

"Oh, come on!" Connie whined from the ground. "No one will know if you don't say anything!"

She extended her hand to him. "Absolutely not. Give it to me, I'll cover you guys just this once. I'll hand it back and say I took it." Shaking her hand insistently, she frowned when she saw him pouting. "Please don't make me repeat myself, Connie. I'll get into trouble."

When she saw Connie throwing a sideways glance at Jean, Ida made her voice sterner. "This is a direct order from your superior. Come on, get up."

"Uh, guys…" Armin muttered. "I think it's best if we listen to her."

"Fine, fine," Connie relented, sighing. "Man, this is such a bummer… and even after Sasha successfully swiped—WHOA!"

It all happened in a quick second. While getting up from the ground, Connie's gear wire caught at the sharp edge of the wooden plank. The pull of the gears forced him to fall backward. Unfortunately, in the blind panic as he fought with gravity, Connie pressed on his gear handle, launching the Thunder Spear that was attached to it.

The Thunder Spear fired, red sparks emitting from its end. The dynamic force of the destructive weapon tugged Connie towards the air, saving him from falling, but it left him with bigger problems. He was now being dragged by the fury of the destructive weapon.

"Connie!" Everyone shouted in unison.

Ida bolted forward, grabbing his waist. She grabbed his hand and pulled sharply, snapping the connection of the wire between the launched Thunder Spear and gear pistols.

Knowing that an explosion was imminent now that she had severed the connection, Ida shouted with urgency to the rest of her squad. "Get down!"

Within a blink of an eye, everyone ducked behind the wooden plank.

BOOM!

They took a long moment to gather their breaths. A loud ring hummed in her ear from the explosion. Ida recovered quickly when she realized that they were so close to the explosion and had just escaped death by just a hairline. "Is everyone safe?!"

"I think so…" Armin said, looking around to visually assess the status of his friends. "Mikasa?"

"I'm okay," Mikasa mumbled. "Don't worry."

Ida heaved loudly when she saw everyone – albeit frazzled and sprawled out on the grass – was safe and sound. She glared at an apologetic-looking Connie, who flinched visibly under her death stare. She wanted to get into a reprimand straight away, but Ida realized they didn't know where the Thunder Spear had exploded on.

Bracing herself, she helped Jean off the floor and stood up wearily to assess the damage.

The good news was that no one was injured from this incident.

The bad news? The Thunder Spear had hit the well where the Survey Corps drew their daily water from.

The muscles in her jaw clenched when Ida felt her headache throb harder. "Well, fuck..."

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

Her squad, save Eren who was with Hanji, lined up in a single file, every muscle poised and stiff in a formal stance. The grim looks on their faces knew of their imminent fate. Standing beside Erwin, Ida had thought they shrank smaller with every annoyance-filled tap of the foot from their clearly pissed-off Captain next to her.

Levi folded his arms and glowered at them. His scowl looked beyond intimidating. The murderous infernos in his gray irises flared. "Explain to me, in fucking detail, how the hell did you idiots manage to destroy the well when there's a perfectly clear empty field with targets there?"

Jean swallowed nervously and braced himself. "Connie's wire got caught at the wooden shield. He slipped and fired in the wrong direction, sir."

"That's unfortunate, but we're lucky that no one was injured." Erwin exhaled tiredly and turned to her. "I thought the training was already over?"

"It was," Ida stated stiffly.

"What a fucking nuisance," Levi growled, anger throbbing in the undercurrents. "And how the hell did you shitty brats manage to get another one?"

Shooting fiery daggers with her glare at a sweating Sasha, Ida knew she had no other choice but to sell her out. There was no way she could save her now. "They—"

Mikasa raised her hand. "Ida gave us another one."

She did what?!

Instantaneously, she snapped her incredulous eyes at the stone-faced Mikasa when she said that. Her jaw dropped, mystified at that accusation. In which reality did she give them another Thunder Spear?!

It wasn't until she saw that Jean's lips curled up sheepishly and Armin lowered his head down in guilt, did she realize what was happening. She took a few steps back when the realization rammed into her. Oh, fuck no. Absolutely not. She did say that she'll cover up for them, but that was before they stupidly blew up the well! There was no way in hell she was covering up for them when things had gotten so out of hand! She was not getting framed for this!

Ida opened her mouth and readied a defense. "I did not—"

"The well would need repairing," Erwin ignored her and engaged in a discussion with Levi. He exhaled exasperatedly again and rubbed his nose bridge. "The cost of the damages is an unnecessary expense for our budget."

Levi's frown embedded deeper in his eyebrows and his scowl grew darker. "Tch, and here I was, stupidly hoping that there wouldn't be any shitty incidents today. What a mess."

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Ida yelled at them, drawing their attention back to her. "It wasn't me!"

Slowly, Erwin and Levi merely appraised her with a disapproving frown and said nothing. The message in their stern gaze was clear: they didn't believe her, not when she was known to be the personification of clumsiness, irresponsibility, and laxness. Her bad track record over the years gave them every reason to suspect her.

Her jaw might have hit the ground if it had the ability to drop the far. "You can't possibly think… that I would do something so irresponsible?"

A tense silence reigned from both Erwin and Levi, but their silent response was enough.

And it only then did Ida realize... she was truly fucked.

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

Panting furiously, Ida bitterly decided that she was getting too lenient. Her intemperate personality certainly had mellowed out over the years, but that was going to change right now.

Screw being nice and approachable. Being nice certainly had no merits.

Not when she was framed by her own squad!

Fuck Levi. Fuck Erwin. Those hateful bastards and those damn ungrateful brats! They were going to pay for this. How many times did she save their asses in the past? There was certainly no good karma going around. It only made sense she had such a shitty life when her luck was this shitty.

Beads of sweat gleamed on her forehead as she jogged around the training fields. Ida was thankful that she had the small consolidation that her squads' devious plan to pin the blame on her had backfired because they too were made to run laps as punishment for destroying the well. There was no way that their strict Captain would let them off the hook that easily. Not that the spiteful Ida would allow it. They were going to hell with her after what they did.

"Damn it…" Jean grumbled through heavy pants, "…how… much more… must we run…."

Connie's words were sluggish. "Five more… laps to go Jean…"

A loud groan came from Sasha who was jogging beside him. "I'm dying…"

Her anger inflamed at that remark and Ida turned her head around to glare at them.

"Don't you dare complain…" she growled, "…you shitty brats…!"

Migrating her death glare back to the main culprit of her injustice, she snarled at Mikasa who was jogging beside her. "I… thought… we were friends…!"

Mikasa faced her with the same stoic look on her face. She didn't even look like she was having such a hard time. "We were never friends…"

Ida snorted rudely and faced her head back at the road in front of her. She didn't miss the subtle upward twitch on the Asian's lips, and she knew that Mikasa didn't mean what she said.

"Friends… are supposed… to cover for each other!" Connie added unabashedly, breathing heavily through his nose.

Mikasa nodded stiffly in agreement. "I thought you said you were gonna cover for us… I only went ahead with what you planned to do…"

Ida had to hold back an aggravated groan. For the love of all the damned walls, these kids were driving her insane. She could feel her fingers itching to grab her hair to pull it in frustration.

"Honestly, we thought…" Jean heaved and stumbled in his jog a little, "…that you'll just get off the hook..."

"In what… fucking world…" Ida grumbled, slowing down her pace so could glare at him, "…does it look like I'll get off the hook… for blowing up the well?!"

"It's not like we got off scot-free too…" Sasha piped up meekly, panting heavily.

Armin's blue eyes dimmed; he could feel his fatigue catching up to him. "Sorry, Ida… Who knew that… Captain and the Commander… would be so harsh on you too…"

She gaped at the blonde, mystified.

So that was it?

That was the stupid reason why they so easily pinned the blame on her? Because they thought that Erwin and Levi would not be inclined to punish her because of familial and romantic ties? Ida felt hopeless at this point. While she admitted they were lenient with her, almost to a point of being bias, but did they not know what type of person their Captain was?! That heartless midget bastard would chew her out for being just five minutes late!

"Still… this brings back memories… of our trainee days…" Armin said lightheartedly, cracking out a small tired smile.

"For potato girl you mean…" Jean grinned mischievously, sweat dripping down his face, "…she ran till nightfall because she gave the Commandant… half a potato… haha…!"

Ida was amazed that her squad still had the strength to laugh at Jean's comment after running so many laps

Sasha shrieked. "That didn't happen!"

Her vision was starting to blur. Shit. Why did she feel so weak? She had run a hundred laps as punishment before without any problems in the past. She stole a jealous glance at Mikasa. The girl certainly didn't look like she didn't have any problems keeping her pace. Maybe it was because she was an awakened Ackerman?

But it didn't make any sense, she was an awakened Starke as well.

The strangest thing of all was that while her squad laughed teasingly at the embarrassment of Sasha, everyone seemed to be way fitter than her now.

Ida slowed down her pace and fell to the back. Maybe she was just pushing herself. Between the constant headaches, her overworking, and getting little sleep last night, it made sense.

Finding something else to distract her, she focused on the backs of her squad members.

"This would be… another memory… we would never forget...!" Armin declared with a wide smile. He shifted his body slightly to look at her. "Right… Ida…?"

She couldn't help but smile at Armin's cheerfulness. His optimism never failed to brighten her mood. Regardless of how much she hated them right now for framing her, Ida couldn't deny the fact that it was hard to get angry at them for long. Not when she looked at them as her family.

"Yeah…" she agreed, mustering a tired smile, "…But… you brats are… going on cleaning duty for life… for this…"

They groaned in unison.

Her eyesight blurred again, but not because of the beads of sweat that were dripping down her forehead. Ida felt her world threatening to tip in a deadly axis, but she forcibly told herself to continue jogging. Too focused on maintaining her pace, the voices of her squad drowned out from her mind.

It wasn't until Sasha appeared beside her did Ida realize that they were calling her.

"Ida?" She breathed heavily. "You okay?"

"What…?" Ida mumbled, suddenly feeling discombobulated. She shook her head and blinked.

Why was everything so blurry?

"Hey—"

The heavy feeling on her eyelids began to increase and she couldn't hear Jean anymore. Everything became fuzzy. Her consciousness was now floating through an empty space filled with thick static. Her head hurt so much. It was getting worse with every second. She could hear her erratic heartbeat pounding in her ears mingled with her heavy pants.

As her vision dimmed to black holes, Ida felt her body give way. It was almost as if something had sapped her strength. The sharp, constant twinge in her head was agonizing.

She heard Mikasa's voice calling for her when she stumbled to the ground. "Ida!"

Throughout the inky space, her heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in her ears, alongside fading urgent shouts from her squad to get help.

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

"Please," the man pleaded, his voice quivering in terror. "Please don't do this. I have a family back at Marley."

Tall blades of grass danced in the wind near the ruined city at the gate of Shiganshina District. Ivy gazed glumly at the man trembling before her on his knees. She tightened her grip on the syringe needle that she had obtained from Zeke.

Pitiful, she thought, so, so pitiful. But you must die.

He was a Subject of Ymir, just like her — a cursed bloodline that brought forth so much misery in the world. Ivy wholeheartedly believed the power of Titans should cease to exist in this world. It was an ideology she shared with the man she followed.

It's better this way. As long as this curse exists… the world will never accept us.

Ivy crouched down in front of the trembling man. His hands were bound tightly with a rope. He couldn't even escape if he wanted to. Just like a captured prey waiting for his grim fate, he could only stare at his reaper in elevated fear.

"Why do you want to live, isn't it miserable being born a Subject of Ymir?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"F – For my family..."

A haunted shadow engulfed her emerald eyes. "Do you love your family? Will you die for them?"

"O – Of course, I would. I love them." His voice was wrought with distress. "Please, my family depends on me… I have to live for them…"

As though his final words of conviction struck a nerve, Ivy tipped her head back in misery. A tense moment passed before she broke out in laughter, stunning the man to his core. Though she knew she was being watched by the Marleyan soldiers who came to deliver the convicted Eldians, Ivy couldn't stop herself from laughing. The more Ivy thought about it, the more she laughed.

Why didn't this fool understand? He had to die.

Liar. Liar. Liar.

It was only when she heard a stern voice call for her did her laughter cease. "Ivy."

Ivy looked to her side where Zeke was standing a few feet away from her with an injection in his hand. She smiled warmly at him, ignoring the gruesome and heartless scene, just as she'd been trained since birth.

"Yes, Zeke-san?"

Without much inclination, Zeke injected the contents of his spinal fluid into the crying, kneeling woman in front of him and quickly motioned for Bertholdt and Reiner to take her away to Pieck to be placed in barrels.

The inhumane act was a raw reminder of what they do, what they are capable of, and what heartless beings they are. The betrayers of their own race.

As though he hadn't sentenced a woman to a cruel fate as a pure Titan, as though it was normal, Zeke made a deadly point of his power when he glared at her. "Stop playing around. We don't know when they will come to Shingashina, we should hurry with preparations."

"Sorry!" she mustered a sheepish grin. "I'll finish up soon!"

Zeke shook his head and turned to the Marleyan soldier beside him. "Anything else from Marley?"

"Lieutenant Brandt wants an update on the situation."

"Alright," he nodded, looking back at Ivy. "Hurry up and finish things here, I'll go report in."

She waved goodbye to the departing figures. When they finally disappeared, her icy gaze fell back on the kneeling man before her. A tense moment passed, before a pleasured, calculating smile graced her lips.

"Do you want to live?"

The man nodded quickly, staring desperately at the syringe in her hands.

Throwing the syringe to the ground in front of him, she kneeled in front of him. With an impassive impression, Ivy extracted a small dagger that she kept strapped to her thigh.

"I'll give you a chance then," she cut the ropes around his hand, "kill me and run away, or inject yourself with the syringe and be useful to Marley."

His eyes were wide as he stared at her with trepidation. He knew what he was asking her to do when he felt the cold dagger that she pressed to his hands.

The man kept his horrified gaze on her when Ivy smiled sadly, "Please choose wisely…"

Discombobulated with fear, the man's mind was blank and numb. It was out of pure instinct that he reacted — exactly as Ivy had predicted. She felt a sharp pain when the dagger met the flesh of her chest, sinking deep enough to make any normal human scream. Her skin was torn to shreds when the dagger rotated, the sound of her muscles and nerves being gouged growing louder. But instead of writhing in pain, Ivy's shoulder shook.

It took a while for the man to realize that she was laughing.

She lifted her head and faced him, the edges of euphoria and insanity obvious in her twisted smile. His breathing halted in anxious fear when her mocking laughter stopped. In a swift moment, while his disorientated mind was still trying to process why she was laughing, Ivy grabbed the man's trembling hand that was still gripping the hilt of the dagger.

Billows of steam floated out from her stab wound.

It all happened in slow motion. She leaned in closer until her lips were inches away from his ear.

"With this offense, now even your family would be implicated back at Marley. I guess…" her lips curled upwards, "…you don't really love them that much after all, huh? You didn't even think of them when you made your choice!"

A paralyzing horror overcame the man. Horrified by what he had done, his hand immediately let go of the blade. He didn't even have time to realize what was happening when Ivy stood up and swung a swift kick to his face.

BAM!

"Shit! The lunatic is acting up again!"

She whirled around, already predicting that the two Marleyan soldiers watching her were running towards her with guns. Fortunately for her, they stopped when they saw the dagger that was still plugged in her chest and the blood that seeped through her white shirt. Their shock was clearly embroidered in their expression.

Ivy ripped the dagger from her. Her powers kicked in, sealing the gaping cut and stopping the blood flow.

Holding the bloody dagger languidly, she casually gave an explanation. "His rope was loose, he tried to kill me. I retaliated. The fool didn't know I was a shifter."

Just as she had expected, the Marleyan soldiers' wrath turned to the disorientated man on the floor who was still writhing in pain from the impact of her kick.

One soldier's enraged gaze settled on him, and he sprinted forward, striking his stomach with a powerful kick. "Filthy devil! I should've brought your wife here as well!"

Ivy had to restrain her entertained smile when she heard the prisoner's agonizing screams flowing through the decimated city. "No, please—URK! I didn't mean it—she made me—ARGH!"

The sound of boots hitting flesh penetrated the frigid air, rolling over to her like a beautiful symphony. In that chaotic moment, all that could be heard were the man's pained screams. How entertaining, she thought in relief, rejoicing in the wretchedness filling the environment around her.

As the soldier carried on with his assault, Ivy stared at the other Marleyan soldier. A genuine smile bloomed across her lips.

"You might want to stop him, sir," she suggested serenely. "There's a limited number of prisoners and we need them for the plan. Better a Titan under Zeke's control than a useless dead filthy Eldian right?"

The soldier made an irritated noise, his eyes poisoned with an elevated level of hatred that he had to take orders from a member of the cursed bloodline. With an indignant huff, he begrudgingly went to stop his comrade.

Pleased at the outcome, Ivy giggled secretly to herself and picked up the syringe on the floor.

"No—AH! Please, my family—URGH!"

She had expected that she would feel elated at how everything went exactly as she had predicted, but she was suddenly struck with an annoying feeling when she heard the prisoner's cries again.

"Family…" she murmured without realizing.

Although his cries were music to her ears, it also acted like a sledgehammer to her conscience.

Pain morphed on her face when she looked back at the badly beaten prisoner. He was now being held down as the Marleyan soldiers injected this arm with Zeke's spinal fluid.

Her teeth clashed into a fierce grit. Rage whipped through Ivy like a tornado when she crushed the injection in her hands, the small sharp edges of glass cutting her palms. Blood flowed down her hands like crimson ribbons amongst a backdrop of steam.

Lies. All of it.

Hadn't you learned your lesson, Ivy? She asked herself angrily, forcing herself to fixate her gaze on the prisoner who was being dragged away. Look. Look at the foolish man who said he loved his family.

She scoffed at herself.

Humming a tune, there was a happy skip in her steps when she left to find Zeke.

There was no such thing as love, loyalty, or family in a cruel world where entropy reigns supreme.

o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o

"Kneel," he whispered softly, crossing his arms.

His blank eyes fell onto his three captives. With a kick to the legs from his men, the three shadow figures dropped to their knees.

The young man, barely the age of eighteen, stood before them with a smug look on his face. A lone oil lamp hung in the dim room, casting a shadow over his face.

"I'll never kneel before you bastards!" one of the shadow figures screamed out as he stood up with full force. "We had a deal with the King decades ago! Our clan's head surrendered himself! Why are you doing this?!"

Several of his men took out guns from behind their backs, ready to put the standing man in his place. The smug expression still cold on his face, he lifted his hand as a gesture for his men to put their weapons away. Exchanging hesitant looks, they obliged with their boss's unspoken order.

"You are an impudent one, aren't you?" he asked serenely, his entertained eyes shifting from the two kneeling men to the one standing in the center. "Unfortunately, unruly dogs abandoned by their owner must be hunted and put down, and it's my duty to do so."

"I'll never kneel before you," the disobedient prisoner declared with unbridled pride, "my ancestors never did, and neither would I!"

"Tsk, tsk," he shook his head like he was disappointed by the prisoner's reply. "Pitiful. This is why I've always abhorred being around you dogs, all you have a false sense of pride and duty left."

Intense silence mounted over the room once he stopped in front of one of his subordinates. Without notice, he reached for the gun of the faceless subordinate and fired one perfect shot into the kneecap of the standing man. The thunderous sound of a roaring bullet echoed on to the walls of the room.

Writhing in agony, the man fell to the floor with a scream, right into a kneeling position before him. His head landed right beside his boots. A spiteful smirk appeared on his face when he saw the other two prisoners trembling in fear of their dark fate.

"Lucky for you, I'm feeling a little altruistic tonight," he announced in a simplistic manner, passing the gun back to his faceless men. "Let's play a game, past dogs of the King. It's simple, one of the three of you will walk out of here alive. The other two will die by the hands of the survivor."

With a wave of his hand, he gestured for his faceless men behind him. The sounds of guns clicking reverberated threateningly in the dim room.

"Entertain me, or I'll shoot all of you," he threatened. "Who knows? Seeing how little of you are left, this might be the end of your clan then. This is your one chance, and may I suggest that you use it well."

He laughed when his stare wandered on to the man he shot. "Oh no," he voiced mockingly, feigning disappointment, "my favorite dog in this game might've lost the fight before it even began."

With a twisted smile, he took out a dagger from his expensive embroidered blue jacket and started walking. The two kneeling men stared at the glistening dagger in his hand, desperation foaming in their fearful eyes. They knew that it symbolized their gateway to freedom or gateway to hell. It was clear in their eyes that each was determined to be the one to walk out of the lion's den alive and back to their families.

As he reached behind their backs, each of the men held their breaths. They knew what was to come.

"Ready..." he started, his heart beating impatiently for the fun he was about to witness. His eyes darkened with malice when he tossed the dagger upwards.

It danced in the air.

"Set..."

The dagger made a deafening sound when it made contact with the floor that was about to be polluted with blood.

He lifted his head to the light in anticipation, revealing his face. Strands of red hair fell across his green eyes, and a sadistic smile appeared on his expression when a young Jaron Starke's lips parted in pleasure.

"Go, Ackerman dogs."

.

.

.

Waking up with a thunderous gasp, Ida could've sworn her heart was ready to pop out of her chest. Hardly acclimated with reality, she placed her right hand over her rapidly beating heart.

What the hell was that dream about? Why was she dreaming about Jaron Starke out of all things now?

Her head pounded harder the more she thought about it.

Crap. This was by far the most disturbing dream she'd ever had. She must've truly hated her uncle when he appeared even within the parameters of her dreams. Dream or not, the contents of it disturbed her. Even till now, Ida still had no idea why Jaron wanted the Ackermans dead.

Was this Will Of Odina showing her a past memory? But it didn't make sense, so far all of her glimpses were fleeting images, lasting no more than a few seconds. She never had one while she was asleep. The dream felt so real, so vivid… almost as if she was there witnessing the scene herself...

She touched her head, her headache throbbing in even more intense waves. Ida couldn't help but feel that she was missing something important. An important piece of the surreal puzzle.

What was it? She tried to think but her disoriented mind was failing her.

"You're awake."

She stopped holding onto her head after turning to her side. A new distraction presented itself to her. Ida recognized the person by her bedside. Pete was the exclusive doctor that worked for the Survey Corps. She took a quick glance at her surroundings, finding herself in the infirmary.

"What happened to me?"

"You fainted while running laps," Pete explained. "Captain Levi and Commander Erwin dropped by, but they had other matters to attend to."

He handed her a cup, which Ida took appreciatively. Her throat was parched.

"Apple juice?" she recognized the sweet smell coming from the cup.

"You had low sugar levels. I suggest that you monitor your diet from now on."

A frown marred her features while Ida obediently finished the contents of the cup. She hadn't been indulging in her daily snacks of sweets lately. Did that cause a sudden drop in sugar levels? But it made little sense. Her body was no way that weak. Fainting out from running laps, albeit it was fifty laps, was absurd to her.

Just as she had finished her cup, the door to the infirmary burst open.

Hanji bolted to her bedside when she saw that she was awake. "Ida! I just arrived back, I heard you fainted!"

"It's no big deal," she said dismissively, already swinging her legs off the bed.

Ida grimaced in pain. Why was her head still hurting so much? What was happening to her?

"How are you feeling?" Pete asked kindly, his brown eyes carefully observing her.

"Like shit," she groaned. "But it's fine, I'll be okay in a while."

It was strange. Ida couldn't remember the last time she felt this weak. She was strong. Stronger than the average human at least.

It seemed that Hanji shared the same sentiments because she was now staring at her with concern. "The walls, what's wrong with you? Have you been eating well?"

Pete's frown deepened. He took his clipboard, flipping through Ida's medical records. "Just to make sure, did you notice any other symptoms?"

The doctor's tone disconcerted her. "What?"

"Ida, just answer the questions, it might be serious," Hanji advised, placing a calm hand on her shoulder.

She sighed tiredly. There was nothing wrong with her. They were fussing over nothing. The doctor held eye contact until her defiance wavered.

"No. Nothing in particular—"

She stopped herself when the past week struck her. Immediately, Ida went through her memories, the things that she had shrugged off popping up. She didn't know why, but the sickening knot in her stomach was tightening.

"I… have been feeling fatigued and dizzy but it was probably because I was busy with work and had a loss of appetite."

"A loss of appetite?" the doctor repeated, his tone urging her to elaborate.

"Yes, I felt nauseous," Ida nodded, wanting to get it over and done with. She hated being confined to a sickbed more than anything. "But as I said, it's nothing big. It's probably the stress of the looming expedition."

"Mhmm… Did you do anything strenuous before you felt fatigued?"

For reasons beyond her, she felt nervous. "Not really."

The doctor scribbled something on his report before he threw a wary glance at Hanji beside him. Ida realized that he was holding himself back because of her presence.

"It's fine," she stated, guessing that he was worried about a patient's confidentiality. "She's a friend, so hurry up tell me — am I dying or something? The expedition is in three days, I can't be sick."

"Then…" Pete paused. There was sorrow in his abrupt sigh. "Have you been sexually active lately?"

What?

Her world stopped at the doctor's question. Fuck. Ida was regretting allowing Hanji around now. If only she knew that he was going to ask such a personal question. Her narrowed green eyes met with Pete's, and before she could catch herself, she felt dread coiled in her belly.

Ida opened and closed her mouth, finding it hard to answer that question. Especially with Hanji around. The awkwardness that surrounded them was suddenly palpable, stemming from the identity of her partner.

Damn doctor, she thought, glaring at him. Why is he asking a dumb question like this now—

Realization swept over her. There was a deeper meaning behind his incessant stare.

No.

Impossible.

They were so careful.

Suddenly, her thoughts transpired into running images. Images of that night in the cabin, their first night together as a true couple, pierced through her mind. The memory cast an electric current under her skin, sending a cold shiver down her spine.

Reckless. Ignorant. Selfish.

Her dark fate was tragically divine.

One mistake. That was all it took.

From Pete's wide look, Ida knew what he was thinking, and that he knew the answer to his question too. Although he tried to mask the news on his cool expression, it was easy to recognize because Ida knew what she was looking for.

The hard suspicion hit her in waves and anxiety rolled off her. The color drained from her face when her hands automatically went for her abdomen.

So many things ran through her head that she felt sick. The expedition. The Titans. Levi. Starkes. The Survey Corps. Paralyzed in shock, Ida was utterly helpless in her internal war within her, watching as everything crumbled one by one.

This can't be happening.

Gathering the courage, she opened her mouth to speak, but then sharp pain transfixed itself in her temples. It was a pain so severe that she doubled over and moaned in agony. The worried cries from Pete and Hanji quickly faded into the blankness.

Light chased away the blankness soon after. A succession of images from someone else's point of view played around her like a flickering picture book. Strange images that didn't belong to her. Memory shards that weren't her own memories.

An immense tree, bigger than anything she had ever seen with a gaping hole in the middle, and the loud, desperate wail of the memory's owner reaching out to it with outstretched bloodied hands.

A beautiful breath-taking aurora in the sky in a land filled with sands.

A large army of soldiers in leather and metal, charging towards the enemy with a distinctive Titan's roar behind them at the memory's owner's signal.

A man tied to the wooden table, the fear embedded in his expanded eyes.

The Female and Armoured Titan viciously fighting each other, roaring to the world's end against the pounding rain.

A towering black-haired man swinging his sword, about to cut the memory's owner down.

The familiar stone-gray walls stretching as far as she could see.

And finally… the last image appeared...

Male hands, a finger adorned with the Starke crest ring, cradling a pair of new-born red-haired babies...

Ida gasped in heaves when she returned to reality. Fear elevated her heartbeat, and her body shook furiously from everything. What the fuck was all that? She never had a vision like this before. It wasn't until she felt Hanji's comforting hands on her back did she hear Pete's call for her.

"Hey! Can you hear me?!"

Ida lifted a hand as a gesture that she could and slowly brought herself upright. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she clenched her fingers together to stop them from trembling.

Her voice was laced in desperation when she gathered herself enough to speak. "What… is your diagnosis, Pete...?"

"Ida, you're not feeling well, maybe later." Hanji rubbed a soothing hand on her back. Her gentle tone indicated she had guessed already.

"No, tell me now," she insisted quietly, struggling to steady her quivering voice. She stared at the doctor in desperation, her voice becoming firmer when he kept quiet. "Tell me!"

Just as the constant increase of entropy was the basic law of the universe, everything that comes together would eventually fall apart. Entropy was time's arrow, marking the gradual decline into chaos.

No matter how Ida Starke might try to cement herself to one path, she could never outrun it. It was a branching, blossoming tree of possibilities, forever bringing about ever-greater complexities.

Her body temperature climbed the moment Pete confirmed her suspicion.

"I have great cause to believe that... there's a high possibility that you're pregnant."

---

Well... tell me your predictions! Where do you think all this is heading? :3

As much as I absolutely HATE pulling out the pregnancy card – this was planned many years ago (hinted at Ida's quote at the very start of the prologue). Its a very big plot point. Things will come to a full circle soon! I hope that everyone can be patient with me as the plot progresses and SCs uncovers more truth about their world!

Also, I've added new HSW fanarts to the album on my profile! Updates on the next chapter on my profile too.

Thank you for your support so far, and I hope you enjoyed this update!

Guest: Ida is 21!