Bonds of Steel and Blood

epilogue

          "Again."

Reinae launched herself at Levi with lightning speed. Her eyes glowed with bright green as she sent her fists at him again and again. They moved around a meadow in a forest too fast for a normal eye to follow their movements. And every time either of them missed their target and hit a tree instead, it broke with a loud sound of thunder.

Training with Levi was a joy and a nightmare at the same time. Reinae relished each victory but hated listening to his orders and advice with her whole being. Especially because he enjoyed giving them to her, not even bothering to hide his cheeky smirk when she cursed at him, then did what he told her to.

          "You'll have to do better than that," Levi said to Rei when he dodged again, sending a countering strike toward her torso.

Rei dodged, hissing through her teeth. She could see his ego rising, and it pissed her off. So she launched again, and instead of punching, she pushed him into a tree on the other side of the meadow. When his back hit the trunk and he looked at her with surprise in his eyes, she launched again, her fist aiming directly at his pretty face.

Levi dodged at the last moment, throwing himself on the ground. The tree he was pressed against was sent flying deep into the forest. Reinae was on top of him, her dagger aimed at his throat, a proud grin on her face.

          "I win," she said spitefully.

Levi wasn't as amused as her. His eyes were wide with shock and disapproval.

          "What would you do if I didn't dodge?" he asked angrily.

Rei stood up, putting away her blade.

          "I'd proclaim myself as the new humanity's strongest soldier," she said mockingly.

          "You're not supposed to score actual blows," he fussed, standing up. "Do you want me dead?"

          "No," she casually replied, unfazed by his distress. "But I do want to win, and I did. Which makes it... 64 wins for you and 72 for me."

Levi rolled his eyes at her provocative statement.

          "I went easy on you in the beginning," he groaned, cleaning his clothes from dry grass.

          "Your mistake," Rei shrugged with a grin. "Again?"

          "That's enough for today."

          "Sore loser."

          "I am not."

          "Will you cry yourself to sleep?"

Levi turned around abruptly and pressed her against a tree aggressively, his hand under her jaw.

          "You get more annoying each time you're lucky enough to win," he growled at her.

Reinae bit her lip.

          "You'll have to stop pressing me against trees like that, Levi, or I'll start to think you're up to something."

Levi's mouth twitched, but he refrained from smirking. He narrowed his eyes, then let her go.

          "Brat," he muttered and started walking towards where their horses rested.

Rei laughed and caught up to him.

          "Same time again next week," Levi said.

          "I'll pass."

          "Why?" he asked, side-glancing at her.

          "Erwin sent me on an errand."

          "What kind of errand?"

          "Wouldn't you like to know."

          "Rei..."

She laughed again.

          "I'm going to pay a little visit to Keith Shadis."

Levi stopped next to his horse, his eyes narrowing at Rei with scepticism.

          "What for?" he asked slowly.

Reinae looked into the distance, to where Wall Rose towered high in the sky.

          "To see if the 104th Training Corps are any good."