[DISCONTINUED] Entangled in the Strings of Fate ~ Attack on Titan (Levi x OC)

10. Ilse's Journal (Part 2)

"Oh, wait!" Hanji suddenly stopped the girl. Aile glanced back, noticing a smile on Hanji's face. "Thanks, you really did a good job, Aile! You can leave the rest to me!"

Aile couldn't help but smiled back. "Yeah, that's what I expect from you. Good luck... though my feelings told me that Erwin will definitely approve it with that."

Hanji nodded happily. "Alright, I will get straight to work!!" She exclaimed as she turned to her desk and rolled up her sleeves. Aile just shook her head lightly before closing the door, letting her squad leader alone to work.

"What's something that I would definitely approve?"

Aile turned around, and found Erwin was standing there. "Erwin? Good evening." Aile greeted the man with a small smile. "Well, Hanji and I are preparing a surprise, so I can't say much."

"Is that why I didn't see you two this whole day?" Erwin asked with one brow raised.

"Well... pretty much like that," Aile chuckled awkwardly.

Erwin flashed her a thin smile. "I see. Then I will be looking forward to it."

Aile gave the man a nod and salute. After Erwin left, Aile turned around again, heading straight to her room.

Aile opened the door to the girls dormitory. Though she was Hanji's right hand, she still got to sleep with the other girls in the Survey Corps dormitory. She didn't mind though, as she felt more comfortable to be together rather than alone.

Aile undressed her uniform and went to take a quick bath. After that she put on her night wear, then walked to her bed. She was planning to get a long sweet dream as soon as her head hit the pillow, but the contents of Ilse's journal really bothered her.

"Ymir people... Ymir-sama... What's with that? Did that titan mistake Ilse for someone else?" She found herself mumbling absentmindedly. "And after biting her head, it placed her in such position... The hell..."

Aile flipped herself over and buried her face deep into the pillow. "Damn, there's too much we don't know about this world," she cursed. "Titans shouldn't have any intelligence nor talking ability, but how come it said that?!"

"Aile, are you okay? You've been talking to yourself for some time now."

Aile glanced up from the pillow and saw Petra was looking at her from above her. Aile and Petra shared the same bunk, with Petra's bed above Aile's.

Aile chuckled lightly when she saw her other best friend yawned. "Hey, Petra. You're still up, huh?"

"It's because I heard you," Petra smiled in response. "Where were this whole day?" Her brow immediately curled.

"I was working on something Hanji should be working now," Aile said nonchalantly, making Petra titled her head in wonder.

"I know that, but where?"

"Faraway, where only the birds or the squirrels know."

Petra narrowed her eyes. "So I guess, the tallest tree in the training forest?" "What? How do you know that?" Aile raised her head with a mock surprised look on her face. "I thought that was a hard riddle!"

"Not for me," Petra chuckled. "You are so easy to read after all, Aile."

Aile flinched a bit at Petra's teasing comment. "Ah, now that I've known it I can die peacefully," Petra teased her again while leaning back on her bunk.

"Just by knowing that?" Aile giggled softly. "Oh well Petra, I'm going to sleep, so I won't bother you anymore." "You've never once bothered me, Aile. You are my best friend, after all." Aile heard the ginger-haired girl chuckled lightly.

Aile flashed a small smirk before flipping her body over again, facing the cold wall and closed her eyes. "G'night, Petra," she murmured softly.

"...and good night, Isabel... Farlan..."

---------

-The Next Day-

Hanji and Aile stood side by side. The two were standing in front of a door to a small house; Ilse's house.

"So this is Ilse's Lagnar's home," Aile commented with blank expression. Hanji nodded in response, with a worn-out green cloak in her hand. "I will go alone. Aile, you wait outside..."

"No, I will go too." Hanji glanced at her, a wistful smile adorning her face. "I know you would say that."

Aile replied her with a simple nod. She raised her hand to knock the door, and a middle-aged lady soon came greeting them. "Oh, aren't you the Survey Corps soldiers?" The lady looked at the two with surprised look.

Hanji and Aile gave the lady a small smile. "Yes. Actually..." "Who is it, granny?"

The two narrowed their eyes when a man and a middle-aged man showed up behind the woman. Aile felt more pain in her heart when some small children followed after.

"What're Survey Corps soldiers doing here?" The man frowned. "Noel, it's not nice to say that to these fine soldiers," the old man hissed, while the lady immediately gave the two a guilty bow. "I'm sorry for my son's behaviour."

"Ah, it's okay..." Hanji flashed a thin smile. Her expression immediately turned blank as she lift up the cloak in her hands. "But... I don't think what we're gonna say will be okay for you..."

Ilse's family exchanged looks. "Now why don't we talk about it inside..." The old man replied, his expression darkened. It was as if he had known what the two were going to say.

Aile couldn't hear anything after that. Everything was going mute when Hanji handed the cloak, and when the lady hugged it tightly with tears streaming down her face. Aile wore a blank expression on her face when the other family members joined the lady's tearful cry, but she felt her heart was being minced into small pieces inside.

"We will be going, then." Hanji said slowly. She and Aile gave a salute to Ilse's family and walked away from the house.

"I hadn't mourned her properly..." Aile slowly murmured, while Hanji just kept her stare forward without responding. They noticed Levi, Petra, and Oluo were waiting for them ahead.

"You guys have quite odd interest to have followed us here," Hanji commented. "Or an awful amount of free time." Aile added.

"Oh, umm... About that time," Oluo began. "I'm sorry... If only I didn't screw up back then, we could have capture it, and it would surely benefit the humanity... That's why, my life is a cheap--"

Hanji suddenly grabbed Oluo by the collar, making the man choked for air. "No, I should be the one to apologize. I nearly brought you straight to your death... So promise me you would never regard your life as a cheap thing again, okay?"

"FYI, you're currently in the process of bringing him straight to his death, Hanji." Aile deadpanned. Hanji just realized that she was choking Oluo, and the man's face had already turned blue.

"Oh, uh! Sorry there! You okay?"

Oluo coughed for air, while Petra beside him sighed. "He's okay, Squad Leader," she assured her.

"By the way, what are you guys doing here?" Aile asked with a small smirk on her face, credit to Oluo's priceless frown.

"Sending news," Levi shortly replied. "Erwin has given his approval."

"Oh... really..." Hanji slowly said, still processing the words. A grin quickly formed on her face when she had caught the meaning of that. "You hear that, Aile! He approved it!"

"I-heard-that-so-stop-already!" Aile's words bounced as Hanji repeatedly shook her shoulder back and forth. Hanji immediately released her, dropping her in result and then jumped in joy.

A week later, Squad Hanji along with the help of the Special Operation Squad managed to capture the first titan since the fall of Wall Maria.

On this operation, a new method was proposed by her, and not a single casualty was taken.