(Levi Ackerman x OC) Melting A Frozen Heart ~ Attack on Titan

Chapter 8: Alone In the Darkness

"...Is the fact that I like you," Chi whispered into Levi's ear. And with that, she pulled away quickly. She recognized that we were standing in the hall right outside of his room. Before he could react, she slipped away.

"Chi!" he called, but she ignored him. She sprinted all the way to the front door of the castle and just ran. She ran and ran and ran, straight into the forest. Desperately, in her heart, she wished for everything around her to melt away into nothing. The feeling of being loved and cherished by another person was a feeling that she hadn't felt in years; perhaps, she was not destined to have such a privilege.

Finally, after a long while of mindless running, Chi collapsed against a tree. She leaned against it and slid to the ground on her knees, panting and struggling to regain her breath. A cool wetness hit her cheek and she looked up to see that it had started sprinkling.

She lost herself; she was just a broken killing machine. There was always darkness surrounding her, and she was always alone. No matter how much she tried to see the light, she failed. Everywhere she went, everywhere she traveled, she was nothing but an atrocity to the face of earth. Every person she greeted was cursed with bad luck.

...But there was still Eren. He was probably the only person on the face of the planet who ever understood her. He was just like a brother to Chi, an important figure in her life. Of course, he still had Mikasa and Armin. Mikasa was another one of her close friends as well, but her sole purpose was to protect Eren. Armin had both Eren and Mikasa as a rock to maintain the foundation of his life.

But... what about her? There she was, sitting on the drenched grass, wallowing around in the rain. The cold of the night and the rainwater were beginning to soak her to the bone. She was shivering and her teeth chattered, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered to her anymore—only the fact that the titans had to die, and perish.

Closing her eyes, Chi decided to allow the numbness take over her body. She relented to the ice-cold rain, and she began to lose the feeling in her fingertips. It was getting harder to breathe, and harder to stay awake. Perhaps, she should allow her consciousness to be taken away by the wind.

So she did.

~~~~~

"...Is the fact that I like you," Chi whispered in Levi's ear. He stiffened and she pulled away from him. Had he heard her correctly? Or was his mind playing more tricks on him? Chi slipped away silently.

"Chi!" Levi called. He didn't know if she heard him, and she kept running. She ran right out of the front door. He tried chasing after her but soon gave up; but a horrible, aching feeling settled into his gut. She was probably breaking inside—but why didn't I do anything?

The moment he hit her, he realized that he didn't really mean it. It was just a punishment for not obeying orders; he'd done the same if any other soldier were being as impudent. But perhaps, it was a bit much. He pulled at his hair and paced around the front door nervously.

He decided to wake everyone, calling them to the front door. They were still half-asleep and in their pajamas. Panic fanned through Levi and he couldn't suppress it any longer.

"Listen up," he commanded sternly. "Chi... is gone."

"What?! Why?!" Eren cried. What trouble she could cause in such a short amount of time.

"I don't know," Levi lied. Of course he knew. "But we need to search for her immediately. The weather bears no good news." Everyone nodded in unison and they set out to the stables in their pajamas. They mounted horses and made their way to the forest. Levi felt a few wet drops on his cheeks and looked up into the sky to see that it was raining. He swore underneath his breath; it was starting to get bad. He kicked the horse's side and it broke off into a quick gallop. Everyone followed closely behind.