The Last Ackerman

Chapter 7: Eren

"This all that returned?" one lady whispered.

"All my tax money is wasted on feeding these soldiers. They do nothing but die." another man grumbled. As all the soldiers headed back to HQ, none of them could face the crowds, and all of them walked or rode with their heads down in shame and in complete silence. A couple of soldiers' family members approached asking for the whereabouts of their child only to burst out crying when they found out they had died and that they hadn't been able to bring back their remains for a proper burial. When they arrived back at HQ, the horses were released into their fields, and every soldier was sent for a medical check up before a quick meal, a briefing, and then they were sent to bed for the night, with the next morning off. As Elysian lay in bed, she recounted the events of the day but ended up shrugging them off. she attempted to get to sleep but soon found that she couldn't get off. 

Hours later, she was still wide awake and needed the bathroom so she got up and headed out, careful not to wake her roommate as she opened and closed the old door. The corridors were cool and dimly lit, and the silence throughout them was nice. The concrete beneath her feet was cold as she walked towards the bathroom and quickly relieved herself, before heading back. A small light flickering down another corridor caught her eye and she headed towards it curiously. It wasn't like she was going to be able to sleep anyways, might as well see what it is. As she got closer, she could see that it was Captain Levi, hunched behind a desk, a cup at his side as he scrawled furiously on what she thought was paperwork. As soon as her figure interrupted the shadow from the candle, he looked up.

"Who's there?" he called out. Elysian walked into the light.

"Just me, sir."

"Why're you out of bed?" he was clearly very irritable and tired and she could hear it in his voice.

"I was struggling to sleep and needed the bathroom. So I went." Levi eyed her and she tried not to glare back. He was often very irritable and suspicious of her, and she didn't really want to argue right now. For a few moments he just stared at her before sighing.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come in?" he asked. She was surprised; she had expected him to send her back to bed but she was quite pleased to be invited in. She took a seat in the chair opposite his desk, sinking down. The chair was annoyingly comfortable. "Would you like some tea?" he asked. A hot drink sounded amazing right now.

"If you wouldn't mind, sir. Thank you." He quickly made her a half cup of hot black tea, and she sipped it gratefully, enjoying the bitterness of the plain tea. They sat in peaceful silence for at least ten minutes, Elysian drinking her tea and Levi filling out the endings of a piece of paperwork. Elysian looked up from her cup when Levi put his pen down and stared at her. The stare was hard, like he was trying to get her to crack. It reminded her of the kind of stares that Kenny would give her when she did or said something wrong, and she almost faltered and looked away. "Are you okay, Captain?" she asked, not once looking away from him, maintaining eye contact as they both stared each other down, eyes narrowed.

"There's something about you. Something that isn't right, but I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe you can help me." He stood up and went to stand behind her, gripping onto the back of her chair, immediately putting Elysian on high alert. "You were a good soldier when you arrived. A little too good, with moves that were a little too familiar." Levi whispered the last three words menacingly, danger dripping from his voice, and the hair on the back of Elysians neck stood on end. "At first I thought no, I'm imagining things. Maybe your parents just taught you to fight well, that isn't out of the ordinary. But I know I've seen those moves before. I've seen that melee style, I've seen that defence style, I've seen that attitude somewhere before. Now, Elysian, let me ask you once. Who taught you to fight like that?" Elysian remained silent. She could feel Levi's presence behind her and she knew this wasn't going to end well. This was far from how she wanted Levi to find out who she was, but it didn't seem like there was any other option. Levi's fist connected with the side of her head, sending her crashing into the wall of his office, her head smacking hard against the wall. She stayed sitting against the wall, watching Levi as he slowly walked forwards before he dragged her to her feet, only to punch her again. She spat out a mouthful of blood onto his floor. "It's rude to ignore your superior when he asks you a question, brat." Levi gripped Elysian tightly by the throat, slamming her hard against the wall. She held onto his wrists for some form of support as her feet hung above the ground. She felt so weak, so pathetic next to Levi, being held up by one hand and struggling to break free. "Who. Taught. You. To. Fight." he asked again, emphasising each word by slamming her into the wall again. At this point, her head was spinning and throbbing. Levi already knew the answer to this question and Elysian was only confirming it by keeping silent but it was frustrating that she refused to fully confirm it nonetheless. "Fine then. Let's see how long you can keep this up." His knee connected with her gut and she gasped, blood dribbling down her chin, and he did this again and again, until there was a crimson puddle at their feet. Elysians head was swimming and every shaky breath she took in was painful.

"K-k.." Elysian stuttered, and Levi tightened his grip on her neck, feeling her fingers dig into his hand. Her throat was swelling and she could feel the pressure in her head building, her breaths raspy and painful. 

"What? Can't say it now? You should've said it when I asked, shouldn't you?" Levi stopped for a moment and gave her a chance to speak. His fingers relaxed and she heaved in breaths, more blood spilling down her chin from the release. 

"Kenny Ackerman," she whispered. Although he already knew the answer, Levi's heart skipped a beat hearing it be confirmed. He looked at Elysians face and saw no hint that she was lying. He knew who had trained her now, but the feeling that she was hiding something hasn't gone away. There was something else.

"What was he to you? A mentor? A partner in crime?" He asked. He could see that Elysians eyes were pleading for him to let this go and not dig any further, but he couldn't let her go without knowing everything. The answer he got was far from what he was expecting though.

"Father." He gasped and dropped her. She hit the ground with a heavy thud, coughing up blood still and heaving in breaths desperately, trying to rid herself of the burning sensation in her lungs. Her abdomen was burning from all the times Levi had kneed her but she managed to crawl over to his desk, sitting back against it and wiping the blood from her mouth.

"Kenny.. Is your father?" Levi whispered. Elysian nodded. This was impossible. Kenny was the exact opposite of a fatherly man. He didn't care about anyone or anything, so why would he have a kid? He now understood why Elysian had looked so familiar. She had the same high cheekbones, the same gritted hands and the same brown hair. There was no denying they were related. It then dawned on him. Elysian was his cousin by blood. He took a few stumbled steps back and just stared at her, taking this in. "So your name isn't Elysian Yerin. It's..."

"Elysian Ackerman." 

WHOOOOOO, THE BIG REVEAL 

y'all already knew but poor Levi; thinking he was all alone to now know he has a cousin. 

The question is, how long do Levi and Elysian have left together? 

only one Ackerman will survive, after all.. :)