"Hey there, little lady."

Celine turned in her seat. She grinned at the fellow rider coming up beside her.

Entering Trost was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. A giddy nature had overcome Celine when the sounds of trees rustling and hoofs beating against dirt were replaced by distant shouts of merchants and wagon wheels over cobblestone. Everything being familiar and different at the same time had lit a fire inside her that burned from head to toe. This sensation only intensified when she locked eyes with the first new face to spark a sense of familiarity.

"I'm surprised you recognized me in this getup," Celine said. She swapped the reins of her horse to one hand to gesture to the long gray cloak and hood pulled over her hair.

"I had a feeling I needed to be on the lookout for you today," Kenny said. He hit Celine with a wink. "Let's just chalk it up to intuition."

Celine laughed. "Is this what passes as a welcome reception nowadays? I thought Trost would pull out better stops than having an old bag like you be the one to greet me."

"Well, look at that feisty attitude!" Kenny said. He urged his horse closer, tilting his head back to get a better look at Celine from under the brim of his hat. "Sounds like wherever they had you holed up did you some good."

"Hardly," Celine said. She urged her horse to the right, keeping in line with the three covered wagons making their way through the crowded street ahead. "I detest being outside the cities; it's too quiet. I'd say the main reason I'm in a good mood is the idea of a decent meal and an even more decent glass of ale. Are you free in a while?"

"I'm actually currently on an assignment," Kenny said. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Celine. He didn't seem surprised when she declined, sticking the cigarette between his teeth and fishing through another pocket. "'Fraid I'll have to decline."

"Wow, look who's boring now," Celine said. Kenny wasn't looking at her, but the tilt to the corner of his mouth caused her to smirk. She watched as he produced a match and took a drag from his cigarette. "So what's this super important assignment? Anything you can share?"

"I can, actually," Kenny said. "We'll get to that in a minute. First, I would like to ask you the same question."

"I can't say a thing," Celine said with a shrug. "I told you that before I left."

"That so?" Kenny said. He leaned in, his smile turning coy. Smoke rose from his cigarette, coiling around the brim of his hat before dissipating. "Sure you can't even share a little nugget of information for your ol' pal Kenny? Maybe an explanation of what's in all these covered wagons?"

"My lips are sealed," Celine said, matching Kenny's expression. "If you want some gossip, I can tell you I'm a step closer to being a married woman than I was when I saw you before."

His eyes going wide was a rare indication Kenny had actually been caught off guard. He sat back in his saddle, his head tilting up as he roared with laughter. The cigarette between his lips fell to the cobblestone without a care. Kenny didn't compose himself until his eyes appeared to focus on something above.

Celine followed Kenny's gaze to the roof of a nearby building. Nothing was in sight aside from a spattering of puffy clouds.

"Well then, I suppose congratulations are in order," Kenny said. He gave Celine a hearty clap on the shoulder, grabbing her attention. "And my condolences to whatever fella was unlucky enough to be caught in your snare."

Celine chuckled. "Saying he's been caught is fairly inaccurate. When it comes to Levi, it's more like trying to get a spooked ally cat to eat out of your hand. A fair amount of patience and a little bit of bribery is required in both instances."

The drastic shift to Kenny's demeanor caused Celine to frown in apprehension.

"You say Levi?" Kenny asked, the words taking their time rolling off his tongue. "You talking 'bout the runt from the Scouts?"

The tone in Kenny's voice went unappreciated. "That's the one," Celine said. "Although I don't want to hear you call him that again. You might be meeting him at some point and I'd prefer it if you made a good first impression."

There was a trace of something in Kenny's grin Celine couldn't decipher. An unsettling feeling turned in her gut.

"'Fraid it's too late for that, little lady," Kenny said. He turned to look ahead. "Looks like we've reached our destination."

Their caravan had entered a wide square completely devoid of any pedestrians. Celine's brows shot up as a number of figures using anti-personnel gear landed upon the rooftops. Another group touched down in their path, blocking off the street exiting the square.

"Kenny," Celine said, all mirth gone as she turned her horse. She narrowed her eyes as the street behind them was blocked. "What the hell is this?"

"An impromptu meeting," Kenny said. "I wasn't kidding around when I said I was on assignment. Get off your horse and tell the wagon drivers to get down as well."

Celine ignored the request entirely. She urged her horse closer to Kenny's. "What's this about? Who the hell ordered you to–?"

A shot rang through the air, echoing off the walls of the courtyard. Celine whipped about. Her jaw dropped as the Scout soldier driving the first wagon fell to the cobblestone in a heap. A pool of blood started to spread from the hole in the back of the gray cloak covering his uniform.

"Desmond!" Celine said. She leapt from her horse, sprinting the short distance before crouching down beside the man. The head she lifted up was limp, the gaze beneath the half-closed lids cloudy.

"Order the rest of your men to stand down without trouble," Kenny said. "Looks like that one tried to be sneaky. Anyone else trying to run will get the same."

Desmond's head flopped to the side as Celine placed him down in a delicate manner. She slowly rose to her feet, keeping her head lowered. "Laurette; Paulo – do what he says. Keep your hands up and don't touch your ODM gear."

Two figures appeared along the sides of the wagons, hands raised.

"All three of you get here in the middle," Kenny said. He dismounted, handing the reins of the horses to a man Celine found vaguely familiar. A moment of contemplation led to her recalling that she'd previously seen the man among the members of Kenny's squad. Her eyes darted about, finding more familiar faces stalking the rooftops.

They're all equipped with anti-personnel gear and miniature thunder spear guns, she thought. I'm sure it was one of those that knocked a hole clean through Desmond. What the fuck is this?

Celine and the two Scout soldiers stood together as Kenny and a number of others inspected the wagon's contents. Words couldn't be exchanged, but brief glances indicated that like Celine they were desperately searching for an escape route.

"Like I thought," Kenny said. He approached Celine with a disappointed sigh as his men leapt back to the rooftops. "The way you were actin' before was too relaxed – you didn't have either of those Titan brats with ya. Good thing I planned for there being other caravans like this one somewhere in the city. Probably one of them is being led by your new beau. How about we avoid things gettin' out of hand by you telling me where I can find Eren Jaeger."

"How should I know?" Celine said. "I haven't seen Eren since the attack in Stohess."

A gun was in Kenny's hand before Celine had time to react. Her vision was flooded with a flash of light followed by a deafening gunshot. She kept her eyes locked on Kenny for a heartbeat before following his gaze over her shoulder.

Laurette was on her back, gray eyes staring into the sky. A gurgling sound escaped her lips as her hand hovered over the gaping hole in her gut. She let out a rattling breath, her palm falling into the wound with a wet splash as she went still.

Celine moved in an almost mechanical motion. She put herself between Kenny and Paulo, for what good she could do shielding someone nearly a foot taller than she was.

"If Paulo dies," Celine said, voice soft. "You die."

Ammo was swapped in a fluid motion as Kenny stepped forward. The barrel of the gun touched the bottom of Celine's jaw, tilting it up. Rage boiled in her gut as Kenny smiled.

"I've missed this look," Kenny said. "You had a flash of it when we first met. It's somethin' wild – untamed. Reminds me of your mama. That woman haunted my dreams for years; the only member of the Military Police who turned the tables when I tried to rip her open. She got away when she did the same to me, thinking I was dead."

Kenny ran his thumb from one side of his jaw to the other. "Had to grow my beard out after that to hide the scar. Imagine my surprise when her daughter appeared from thin air to mock me over two decades later. Not sure if you believe in fate, Celine, but I think old Kenny here is getting a chance to redeem himself and finish what he started."

Celine tipped back, twisting her body to snatch a sword from Paulo's ODM gear and swing it up in an arc.

Kenny leaned out of the way in time, the blade instead coming in contact with the gun in his hand and knocking it across the courtyard. He took a step back as Celine adjusted her stance and came forward for a second blow.

There was a shot. Celine froze in her tracks. She stared ahead as Kenny started to laugh.

"Smart little thing," Kenny said. His features twisted into a demented smile. "You're smart, which is why I know you won't turn around to look at what my friends have done to your man Paulo."

The sword Celine had in hand began to waiver. She grit her teeth. "No one had to shoot him … He didn't do anything."

"That's the issue I'm trying to get at here, Celine," Kenny said. "None of your little merry band did a thing to tell me what I wanted to know. Any of y'all could've fallen to your knees and spouted everything you knew while beggin' for mercy. Although …"

Celine didn't move as Kenny stepped forward. He raised his remaining gun and pressed it against her chest. The sword Celine had in hand went clattering across the cobblestone as he forced it out of her grasp.

"You're smart, little lady," Kenny said. He lifted up her chin, running a finger over her lower lip. "You're smart enough to know I would've killed you all regardless of whether you told me where Eren Jaeger is or not. So how about this – you tell me where that boy is, and I'll promise not to head straight over to HQ and blow your baby brother's head clean off when I'm finished with you."

A jolt like a shock of electricity ran through Celine. A slow grin grew on her face. "That gun is the only thing keeping your own head on your shoulders. There'd be a different outcome if you weren't going to kill me like a coward."

"Who said I was gonna?" Kenny said. He unhooked the cloak around Celine's shoulders and tossed it aside. The gun he had in hand slid into his holster as he took a few steps back. "If you ain't talking, drawing things out will give me somethin' to do while I wait for my other squads to come back with Eren Jaeger. You may think you're goading me into not just shootin' ya, but I'm also itchin' to prove a point."

"I'm not my mother."

Celine's hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Don't insult me by playing this out like you're getting revenge on a woman who died years ago. That bitch is long gone; today you're looking at the person who's going to fuck you over whether you win or lose."

The attempt at intimidation fell flat when Kenny's expression shifted to bemusement. "Oh? How's that?"

"Your ODM gear, asshole," Celine said. "If I'm dead, so's your special gear. I wasn't bluffing when I said I'd put contingencies in place to ensure I was the only one who could maintain them. Whatever the hell it is you're doing, you're going to be fucked when your gear leaves you and your squad dead in the air."

"Well then, ain't it a good thing …" Kenny said, sliding into a crouch. "… today will be the last day I need your gear to travel over the rooftops?"

Kenny feinted with an undercut before swinging his other fist around to crack Celine across the skull. The blow sent her tumbling to the side, rolling nearly ten feet. She remained still as stone as Kenny casually stepped up to her.

"I know that ain't it," Kenny said. "Get up; if you leave me hangin' for too long, I'll just shoot ya out of frustration."

A groan accompanied Celine getting to her hands and knees. She kept her head lowered as if gifting Kenny with a deep bow. As she pushed herself up further, she jerked to the side, curling up in pain.

"Come on," Kenny said, growing irritated. "Get–"

Kenny's head turned at the sound of something skittering across the stone. He'd realized a second too late that Celine had used the misdirection of appearing like she'd lost her balance to fling a pebble aside. His eyes returned to her in time for a knee to connect to his groin while a small knife dug into his gut.

A rasping cough escaped Kenny as Celine pulled the knife back for a blow aimed at his neck. The knife stopped short when Kenny snatched her arm and twisted, pinning Celine to his chest as he grappled her from behind.

"Already you're exceeding all my expectations," Kenny said. He leaned forward, his grin filling Celine's peripheral. "You fight just as dirty as a citizen from the Underground. It's a good thing I have experience, or else me not knowin' to wear padding over my nether regions would leave me howling like a cat in heat. Here, now – give me that knife and I'll show you why the Military Police were so fond of callin' me 'Kenny the Ripper.'"

The knife was yanked out of Celine's grip. The tip of the blade was placed against her cheekbone.

"I liked doin' this one to all the women," Kenny said. "I think it's nice to see 'em smiling from ear-to-ear; makes it look like they're havin' fun."

Celine jerked her head to the side, the tip of the knife leaving a shallow gash along her cheek. She gripped the blade between her teeth as she whipped her head back. The hold Kenny had on her arm loosened with his focus on making sure he didn't lose his grip on the knife. Celine's free hand grasped the gun at Kenny's side, her arm twisting behind her back to aim at the head resting on her shoulder.

The gun fired. Celine was flung forward, pain shooting through her shoulder when she hit the ground hard and lost her grip on the gun. A grunt escaped her lips as she palmed the knife from between her teeth and scrambled to her feet. She grimaced.

"You shot a hole straight through my hat," Kenny said. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, the tips of his fingers coming back bloody. His expression darkened for the first time during their struggle. "I really liked that hat."

Celine turned on her heel the second Kenny crouched down. Her heart pounded in her ears as she dashed toward the nearest wagon for cover. A quick dive resulted in her sliding between the large, wooden wheels amid the sound of a bang.

. . .

"Kaboom!"

Kenny tilted back his gun to get a better look at his handiwork. Celine was laying motionless. Her head was turned to the side, eyes locked on the boot laying nearby. She continued to track the object even when Kenny stepped forward to grasp her by the ankle and drag her fully out from under the wagon.

A thick spattering of blood connected the boot to the tattered edge of Celine's pant leg where her foot used to be. The white shirt she had on soaked up the blood and smeared it over herself and the cobblestone like an oversized paint brush. Kenny found the bright streak left behind to be visually pleasing, although lacking in a certain quality. He realized what it was; the art was too static.

Kenny dropped Celine's ankle. He placed his heel on her knee and pressed down with a twist. The pressure was light; his intention wasn't to cause pain. It was like a child tugging on their mother's skirt to remind them that they were waiting for their attention. The action seemed to cause a light to return behind Celine's eyes and Kenny got just what he was looking for.

A scream that built up into a high-pitched shriek echoed through the square. Celine's breaths grew erratic, her hands sliding over the slick cobblestones in a vain attempt to crawl away. Another scream deteriorated into a mangled croak as Kenny gave her a swift kick to the ribs.

"Whoopsie-daisy," Kenny said. "You duckin' threw off my aim, but I s'pose missing a foot will keep you out of just as much mischief as a hand."

The kick to the ribs seemed to knock some sense into Celine as she scrambled into a sitting position. She grasped a small knife laying nearby, finding the collar of her shirt and slicing down along the row of buttons until the garment fell open. She stuck the knife between her teeth as she fought to pull off her shirt and leave herself exposed aside from the band of cloth covering her breasts.

Kenny raised his brows as he watched Celine swing her shirt forward and pull it around her thigh. The white shirt quickly soaked up the blood until only a few unblemished spots remained among the crimson. She seemed to be struggling with tightening the makeshift tourniquet as her fingers grew slick with blood.

"Here, now …"

Kenny placed a hand over his ribs, wincing as he crouched to be at Celine's level. He slapped her hands away and wrapped his fingers around the damp cloth. He pulled the knot as tight as he could, Celine letting out a muffled cry from around the knife. Kenny made another knot to secure the first before looking up to take in the blood dribbling from the corners of Celine's mouth. Finding something to bite down on hadn't been a poor idea on her part, but she certainly could've done better than a knife. He chuckled.

"That oughtta do it, eh?" Kenny said. "I ain't gonna stop you from being generous enough to keep yourself alive for a couple extra minutes so I can kill ya how I please instead of taking the easy route and just bleeding out."

Kenny reached out to grasp the handle of the knife. He held Celine's stare with a smile, waiting patiently before there was enough give to slide the object from between her teeth. He used the cuff of his jacket to tenderly wipe away the blood around her lips. Celine only continued to stare with a blank expression.

"You got real close there, little lady," Kenny said. He flipped his hold on the knife, offering it to Celine. She slowly brought shaking fingers to the handle. The knife slid from Kenny's fingers, Celine dropping her hand to her lap as if the knife was as heavy as a brick.

"It's not often I get scared shitless in a fight," Kenny continued. "For a moment there, I thought you had me."

Kenny rested a hand on the crest of Celine's head. He stroked his fingers through her silky hair, passing his hand down her back and sliding her braid into his palm. The honey-blonde locks touched with congealed blood were regarded for a moment as Kenny felt the spark of giddiness in his chest flicker.

"You may not believe me," Kenny said. "But in another life, I would'a been real proud to be your daddy. Although considering who I am, I bet things between us would probably turn out the same way."

Celine made a rattling sound. It took Kenny a second to realize she was laughing.

"You and my mother …" Celine said. She paused, appearing to have trouble putting Kenny into focus. "You two would've been perfect for each other."

"You think so, huh?" Kenny said. He lifted his gun, pressing against the underside of Celine's jaw. "I thought so, too."

Victoria Bodt had been beautiful; a slim build with soft golden hair framing delicate features. He'd stalked her through the shadows of Stohess back when he was making a name for himself leaving Military Police officers in pieces. There was no indication Victoria would be his last mark; someone to leave an impression stamped on his soul like a cattle brand.

Years later, Kenny had believed every story he'd heard about her death and how she'd fought like a demon while shining like an angel. The blood of hers he'd spilt the night he caught her by surprise had been tinted with gold and tasted like wine. Her eyes had flashed with fear for only a moment before being replaced with something feral. The slash she left across his neck from ear-to-ear hadn't been the only thing leaving him speechless.

Victoria had left him to die with a smile, and he knew then and there that if there were ever going to be any days to follow, he'd never come across anyone who could make his heart race as she did. That had been the end of his era hunting down the Military Police; it was soon after he'd moved his attention to other efforts and came across the man who he found was the true King behind the walls.

"Your mama died before I could thank her," Kenny said. He let out a hum as he smiled. "She knocked me out of twiddlin' my thumbs and made me into the man I am today. And once I get that Titan brat, I ain't even gonna be a man anymore. Not fully, anyway. I'll finally gain what I've been lackin' all this time. It's a shame you won't be here to see it, little lady. But you can go to sleep knowin' I'm grateful to you, too."

Something landed behind Kenny in a flourish. A kick to the side left him tumbling back, the gun firing into the air. He rolled to the side to dodge a sword coming down on his chest. The second blow attempting to sever his arm was also unsuccessful, but his opponent cut his forearm with a deep enough slash to cause the gun to fall from his grip. Kenny tried to stand but instead froze in place when a sword was lifted to his chin.

The commander of the Scout Regiment, Hange Zoe, looked down on him in contempt.

"We received a tip-off of a shady character asking around about Celine Bodt and Eren Jaeger," she said, her tone steady. "Who would have guessed that 'Kenny' would turn out to be the infamous 'Kenny the Ripper?' How lucky of me to have the opportunity to cut up a legend piece-by-piece."

Kenny's head whipped about as he took in the commotion on the rooftops. A number of Scout and Military Police soldiers ducked behind chimneys to avoid the gunfire from Kenny's forces. A pattern had been identified – the soldiers rushing their opponents to slash them open in a shower of blood when there was a pause for the guns to be reloaded.

"Funny," Kenny said, turning his head. "I thought the Commander types like you would be the kind to take prisoners."

"Technically, I should take you alive," Hange said. Something ugly twisted through her features. "But what you did to Celine really pissed me off."

The cobblestone near Hange's foot exploded from a gunshot. The distraction was seized by Kenny as he swept Hange's legs out from under her. She landed hard against the stone, Kenny unsheathing her other sword and getting to his knees to drive it forward. A loud clang rang through the air when Hange met the tip of the sword with the broad side of the blade she had in hand. Being on her back left her at a disadvantage, her arms shaking as Kenny drove the sword forward.

A crack appeared along Hange's blade. The flexible metal wasn't designed to withstand a great force from that angle, the material buckling as Kenny put all his might into the blade poised to skewer Hange through the chest.

Kenny rocked forward as something hit him hard across the back. He caught a glimpse of Celine in his peripheral vision as he was shoved away from Hange. His instincts took over and his hand snapped up to grasp the knife aimed at his neck, batting it aside. The knife may've missed its mark, but a set of teeth came down hard on the flesh just above his collarbone.

Turning his head was next to impossible. Kenny did what little he could, meeting a pair of brown eyes speckled with gold that stared up at him in a fervent manner. Blood flowed between Celine's teeth in a steady stream as she latched onto him like a rabid dog.

'Both of you got the sorta look that makes it seem like you'll bite if anyone gets too close.'

His own words floating up from his subconscious made Kenny chuckle. There was an urge to share the memory with Celine under the notion she'd find it humorous on some level. Unfortunately, Hange getting to her feet and being on the verge of digging her sword through his skull didn't leave Kenny with enough time to speak. The only thing left he could do was smile.

"Release him, or I'll shoot!" a voice called.

A woman with white-blonde hair and pale blue eyes approached. She had two ODM guns in hand, one of each pointed at Hange and Celine. When neither Hange or Celine moved, she pushed the barrel of the gun in her right hand against Celine's cheek.

Craven, Kenny thought, surprised to see his second-in-command.

If she's here, that means the attempt to get the Jaeger boy …

Hange grimaced at the gun pressing against Celine. Her grip on her sword relaxed, the weapon being tossed aside.

Kenny shared a calculated look with Hange before he weakly allowed his own sword to slip from his fingers. The plan to capture Eren Jaeger had failed; leaving the scene as soon as possible took precedence above all else. Stabbing the Scout Commander would only make it harder to shake Celine.

It'll be easier to have Craven shoot them both on our way out.

Kenny returned his attention to Celine. She appeared to be staring Craven down over the barrel of the gun, the hazy nature to her eyes giving the impression that she wasn't fully present. The blood slowly dripping from the bottom of her tattered pants seemed to be a good indication for why.

"That's enough now, little lady," Kenny said. "You're gonna bleed out if you waste much more time. Let's live to fight another day, huh?"

Celine's gaze drifted in and out of focus. Her attention landed somewhere over Craven's shoulder before her jaw went slack and she fell backward. Celine fought to keep herself up on her elbows as her breaths grew shallow.

"Damn, those are deep," Kenny said, wincing as his fingers assessed the damage left from the teeth marks. He accepted Craven's help to get to his feet. A final glance was gifted to Celine before Kenny turned and took a few steps away.

"Craven," he said. "Kill 'em quick. We–"

"Kenny!"

The shout echoed through the courtyard. Kenny couldn't recall a time his name had been spoken with so much venom behind it. The voice was even one he vaguely recognized, at that. He looked behind him in time to see a sword burst through Craven's gut. The woman held his shocked expression as the sword disappeared and she collapsed in a heap.

In Craven's place stood Levi, blood spatter across the front of his gray shirt and over half his face. There was enough of it to give the impression far more of Kenny's men had fallen to Levi's blade than just Craven. The way Levi was looking at him was an indication the man would slaughter his way through the entire population of Trost if it meant gaining the chance to gut Kenny like a fish.

"Sorry, runt," Kenny said, taking a step back. As much as his heart yearned to play with the new toy placed in front of him, he knew well enough when it was time to fall back and regroup. At the very least Levi had given him the chore of finding a new second in command.

"Old uncle Kenny isn't in the mood to play with you today," Kenny said with a grin and a wink. "We'll find a time to catch up; maybe if you send me an invitation to the wedding."

Kenny turned on his heel and activated his anti-personnel gear. He'd heard Levi was a fine pilot, but Kenny wasn't too bad, himself. Getting away in the chaos wouldn't be all that hard.

The ODM gear on Kenny's back made a sputtering sound. No propulsion of gas moved him forward.

The world seemed to slow as Kenny turned his head. He looked over his shoulder, noting the knife wedged in the spot where the turbine connected to the gas tank.

Celine, Kenny thought.

When I caught her going for my neck, she readjusted her aim. The bite was to keep me from noticing.

Kenny raised his eyes. He looked up in time to catch the light reflecting off Levi's crossed blades as they sliced through his neck. Kenny's head sailed through the air, locking eyes with Celine.

Congrats, little lady.

Kenny's head hit the cobblestone with a dull thud.

Your mother doesn't hold a candle to you.