The Wings of Freedom (Levi x OC)

Chapter 12

We all stalked out of the meeting hall, me in my wheelchair, with Hanji and Levi behind me.

"Wow Nanami! I can't believe that you're a Lieutenant now!" she said. 

"Well I aim to impress. I'm worried about my squad though, what are they going to do now?" I asked.

"We just talked about that with Erwin," said Petra, walking over to us with the rest of my squad.

"What did he say?" Hanji asked.

"Well he said that we're going to be picked and placed into another squad. It's interesting to get a new start, but I'm going to miss being part of your squad Nanami!" she said wrapping her arms around me.

"Well I guess you're part of my squad then," Levi said.

"L-Levi!" I stammered.

"I've seen them in battle, they know how to work well together with efficiency," he said plainly.

"Are you guys alright with this?" I asked my squad.

"I'm fine, it won't be the same as working with you, but it'll be fun!" Petra exclaimed. The rest of my squad nodded and agreed.

"Alright then it's official! Petra Ral, Oluo Bozado, Eld Jinn, and Gunther Schultz, you are all now members of Levi Squad!" Hanji said.

"Is that really what you're calling it?" he asked dully.

"Not originally, but I guess now we are!" I said. 

Two years had passed since the fall of wall Maria. Several expeditions into wall Maria have been made, none of which have uncovered much new information. Being a Lieutenant in the Survey Corps means I get to command my own section of soldiers, but that doesn't make it any better. Death and blood seem to be more existent with every journey we have outside the walls. Along with that, Levi Squad has now been promoted to the Special Operations Squad which was long coming since they are so efficient. But among all of this lies a fog of negativity and fear. I guess that's what keeps me going after all this time...

"Lieutenant, are you sure you want to do this?" Erwin asked.

"Yes. It's our duty to raise the next generation to be able to carry the weight of humanity on their shoulders," I replied.

"All right then. We wish you the best of luck," he said as he entered the building.  I turned around and started walking off near the main road when I was stopped by a presence behind me. I turned around to see Hanji and Levi standing there. Hanji ran up and threw her arms around me.

"Who am I going to use to help me with experiments now?!" she exclaimed in a shaky voice.

"There's always Tiny," I said.

"Nobody else is the same!" she wailed. I slunk out of her embrace and smiled.

"I think you can make do," I said. She smiled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. Levi just stood there with his arms crossed. Hanji turned around and frowned. I walked up to him until we were inches apart. 

"You going to say goodbye?" I asked.

"I'm not good with this stuff," he said. Hanji then pushed me into him, causing Levi to catch me. He then stood me up straight and held me close.

"See you, Tiny," he said. He let go of me and I continued walking towards the main road where my horse was. I mounted and waved to them before riding away. I watched the sun rise as I rode off towards the training grounds. It was about a few hours trip there, and if I was lucky, I would be able to get to the training grounds before training starts.

Later...

I trotted up to the stables and gave my horse to the soldier there. He nervously saluted and took my steed. I then walked over to Kieth's office. I opened the door and saluted. I was surprised that he had gone bald since the last time I saw him.

"Nanami Akiyama," he said smirking.

"It's been a while sir," I replied.

"I hear you're a lieutenant now," he said.

"Yes sir," I said.

"Congratulations. Training begins in a hour and half. Go and get to know the cadets, they'll be waiting in the field," he said.

"Yes sir!" I said, exiting the room. I briefly saw him wave as I lightly closed the door. I walked down the hallway to the exit to the field. I looked around, seeing that nothing had changed and then focused my attention to the cadets. They didn't notice me at first and I just waded through the crowd. I was looking around for anyone that looked familiar and I ran into a tall boy with light brown hair in the undercut hairstyle. He stumbled back as I held my ground, being quite accustomed to people running into me I was able to learn how to stand tall and strong.

"Hey watch it-" He began rubbing his arm. He looked down at my emotionless face and then down to my Survey Corps badge with the special gold embroidery signifying my status as a lieutenant. He blushed and snapped into a salute.

"What were you saying cadet?" I asked with a hand on my hip.

"I apologize sir, I mean ma'am!" he said nervously.

"Tch. I guess we should teach you manners before we teach you how to kill titans," I sighed. I walked up to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. I then gripped hard enough to cause pain, but not to cause severe damage to his shoulder. I took my hand off his shoulder and took a step forward. "Right hand goes on the chest when saluting cadet, not the left," I said walking away. He looked down and corrected his mistake nervously. I looked around at the staring cadets who had formed a circle around us. "As you were cadets," I snapped. The cadets nodded and began to discuss again. I waded through the crowd easily this time, since people seemed to make a path for me when I walked by. I exited the crowd and stopped to look around at the training grounds that I trained on years ago...

"Why are you here cadet?!"

"To fulfill a promise."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I made a promise to join the Survey Corps and slaughter every titan that crosses my path."

"I wish you the best of luck then."

"Lieutenant Nanami?" said a voice behind me.