"Try not to walk in a cluster. We'll stand out. Eren and Historia, just walk normal", Levi calmy said, looking straight ahead.
The heavenly smells of freshly baked goods came from all directions as you made your way down the streets of Trost, food stands buzzling with townsfolk on either side of you. You slowed down to put a little more distance between yourself and Mikasa and Sasha who were walking in front of you. Marco inched a bit closer to you on your right side, everyone making sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious while still looking casual.
"Why is the royal family's flag hanging everywhere?", Connie asked from behind you.
"Oh! Today must be the anniversary of the King's coronation!", Sasha suddenly remembered, turning her head to look in your direction. "Once a year, they hand out a haul of rations", she eagerly informed all of you, visibly trying to supress her bubbling excitement over free food, as well as disappointment over the fact that you wouldn't be able to get a hold of any.
"We'll begin handing out rations!", a pair of MP soldiers declared to a big crowd while standing on top of huge crates that acted like a stage. "King Fritz has heard of Trost District's hardship and will donate the royal family's reserves!". The crowd around them started gasping in delight and awe. "There's enough for everyone! Line up orderly!". You rolled your eyes.
"Where was this version of the king when Wall Maria fell?", you muttered annoyed under your breath, careful not to speak too loudly. It's not like you were angry at Trost for receiving help, that was the least the king could have done for them, but you knew he only did it because of peer pressure from his advisors. He needs the people to be in his favour. Marco's hand subtly found yours with a careful and thoughtful motion. Still looking over at the soldiers you intertwined your fingers with his, letting him know you were fine. People started voicing out their praise and love for the king.
"What a king! He sure is generous!", Sasha exclaimed in awe, you had all stopped now to spectate the crowd. You furrowed your brows at her words, though you knew she didn't know any better. This was nothing but a publicity stunt from the king's part. He doesn't actually care.
"He's got more than he knows what to do with. People are weak, especially when baited with food", Levi simply said, starting to walk again. You all followed, you feeling content that someone else could see through the King's act. You continued walking down a narrow alleyway, leading to a new, more open street. After walking further down the street, Levi stopped. With a sharp turn of his head, he looked at you all sternly.
"Watch out! Behind us!", he exclaimed. Marco had already turned around the second Levi did and saw what was coming, pulling you into his embrace before he jumped out of the way. It was a horse and carriage, rapidly trying to plough you down. The others got out of the way at the last second, everyone shakingly getting back up from the ground once the carriage had passed.
"Armi—", Sasha started exclaiming, before stopping herself. "I mean, Crista and Eren!", she corrected herself. "They got snatched away again!".
'Close one Sash...'
No one spoke a word as you silently started the operation. You spilt up, some running and some using their gear. It would be too suspicious if everyone did both. You, Levi and Marco made your way across the roof-tops, following Sasha, Connie and Mikasa who tailed the wagon down on the ground.
"I hope Armin will be okay...", you voiced your concern. "Jean too, who knows who we're up against. But I just know if it is anyone as nasty as those corrupt MP's, being a girl is not ideal". The others didn't look at you, but you could see it on their faces that they had been thinking the same thing.
"They knew what the risks were when they put on those wigs", Levi then said, keeping a keen eye on your friends below. "We'll just have to be quick to make sure they suffer less", he then said, giving you a quick look in the corner of his eyes. You gave him a nod, your movements feeling more determined now. The three of them got up a couple of rooftops in front of you. That meant the culprits have entered their hideout.
"They stopped in front of that building over there and took Armin and Jean inside. Looks like a merchants warehouse", Connie informed you once the three of you reached them. Levi walked over to the edge of the roof, scanning the place.
"Follow me, quietly", he said, stealthily manoeuvring his way on top of the warehouse. You quickly followed, Mikasa sneaking down to look through a window to assess the situation at hand. After a short while she got back on top of the roof with the rest of you, Sasha and Connie preparing for confrontation somewhere else.
"How's it going inside?", Levi asked her, scouting around the property of the building.
"If we don't hurry, they'll see through Armin's disguise", she said, and you cowered.
'I knew it... Those pigs are feeling him up'
"And I feel bad for him...", she added. That was probably hard to watch without being able to stop it...
"I see", Levi said, looking over at her.
"How's your leg? Any better?", she asked him. You had been nervous about him using his gear again after the injury, but he had reassured you multiple times that it wasn't anything to worry about.
"I can move well enough. It's not bad.", he answered, rubbing his knee slightly. "More importantly, these kidnappers; They are nothing but amateurs. Why would they be using guys like this?", Levi speculated before getting up to his feet. It must be time to move on to the next phase of the plan already.
"You can handle the rest on your own. Y/N, we're heading for Eren", Levi declared, and you rose up from the ground, Marco doing the same while grabbing your hand. You gave him a smile and a quick peck on the lips. Nowadays it was scary to split up, everything always feeling so uncertain and unsafe. You could never know when it would be the last time you saw one another, so you always made sure to acknowledge each other before separating. With that you walked over to Levi.
"Once you've dealt with the trash, come and meet up with us", Levi told the two of them. "And one more thing... I'll tell you, just in case, and tell Armin and them this too; From now on, we'll be fighting humans too, and not just titans"...
~
You and Levi had stopped in a narrow and dark alleyway, waiting a bit longer before continuing to rendezvous with the rest of Hange's squad. You were both silent for a bit before Levi suddenly decided to speak.
"So you and freckles?", he stated casually, not looking at you. You turned to face him abruptly.
'Why would he-? Oh, he must have seen the quick kiss just now'
"Uh, yeah..", you answered him modest, not really expecting him of all people to bring it up like that. "Why?", you asked shy but curious. His expression remained the same, you only noticed the tiniest hint of awkwardness in his face. He probably wasn't entirely comfortable talking about a subject such as this, but he brought it up, so you didn't feel bad for prying.
"No reason...", Levi said nonchalant, still looking towards the open street. "He's a good kid", he said after a while and you smiled at his words.
"I think so to", you answered sincere.
"But you know where to find me if he isn't", he suddenly added, and your eyes widened. As his words sunk in you couldn't help but let out a little laugh. You felt both flattered that he wanted to look out for you, as well as bewildered. Marco and bad didn't belong in the same sentence.
"I mean it", he said firmly, finally looking at you, actually looking taken aback by your reaction. He wasn't used to be this straight forward when it came to voicing out his care and worry for others. He was more of an 'protecting in silence'-type of man. This meant a lot to you and you toned down your laugh to give him a sincere smile.
"I know, thank you Levi". Not long after that unexpected talk you both moved along to meet with Nifa and the rest. The more you thought about it, that moment you shared felt like a father watching out for his teenage daughter, which made your heart swell up as you made your way across the roofs. You had always longed for that secure and protective figure in your life, although you were more than strong enough to protect yourself. Levi started to feel more and more like that figure.
'Is it weird to consider him like that? I know we're past the formalities of military ranks... Best not dwell on it, it is what it is. I'm just happy to have his support'
Once reaching the others, you placed yourselves comfortably against a large chimney, watching as the wagon driven by Keiji, one of Hange's squad members, tried to pass a large crowd. Nifa was seated against the other chimney on the opposite side of you and Levi. He asked her for a status report.
"The road is crowded, but nothing unusual", Nifa reported. "There is not much farther to Commander Pyxis. How's the double mission?", she asked.
"A success", Levi simply answered. Nifa turned to look at his plain expression.
"And yet, you don't look that happy...", she half stated half asked.
"No...", he simply answered again, looking over at another roof. You looked back at him, studying his face for a second. He looked uneasy... like he had a bad feeling. Looking back at the wagon you noticed the crowd disperse all at once, however some still lingering behind, blocking the wagon.
'Weird... It's like they started moving on cue'
"The wagon is almost moving again", you informed the others, only Nifa seemed to follow your gaze, Levi still deep in thought.
"Have you heard about Kenny the Ripper?", Levi asked the both of you, to which you shook your head.
"The mass-murderer in the Capital? The one that slit the throats of over one hundred Military Police? That's just an urban legend from years ago, right?", Nifa said, looking curiously over at Levi. Come to think of it, you might remember hearing some of the higher ups talk about this supposed legend during boot camp, while you and Sasha snuck out in the middle of the night for a late night snack. You always put any extra food in a container that you hid by a specific tree in the woods behind the barracks. On extra eventful days of training where you wouldn't get much to eat, the two of you always resorted to sneaking out and eat while everyone else was asleep.
"He is real, and the stories are true", Levi revealed, looking back at the wagon now. "I lived with him for a while when I was a kid". You turned your head to face him, your brows raised.
"What? Why would you even say that? This isn't the time to make jokes", Nifa said sheepishly with a little laugh, not sure how to react to that information. You didn't either, but chose to let it go for now, your focus now back on the wagon. Not even two seconds after you turned your head you heard Levi gasp and scream out.
"Nifa!". Levi took a firm grip around your head with his arm and pulled you protectively towards him, all while lowering the both of you down towards the roof beneath you. The sounds of two simultaneous gunshots rang out, tiny pebbles of stone from the chimney falling down on you from above, indicating whoever shot in your and Levi's direction missed. Levi was quick to pull you with him to the other side of the chimney, shielded from the gunman at least for the time being.
You looked over in Nifa's direction, your eyes widened as you saw her head blown to pieces by whatever that gun was loaded with. Your breathing became unsteady by the sight, levi kept an arm stretched out in front of you, keeping your secure against the chimney as he thought out the next course of action.
"Yo, Levi. You grown any yet?", you could hear a grown man, most likely this mysterious Kenny the Ripper, say as his steps came closer. By the sound of it he had reloaded his guns.
"Y/N, he hasn't seen you yet, go!", Levi urgently ordered with a low voice, removing his arm to give you a push. That was true enough, you had been seated behind Levi while pressed against the chimney, so he couldn't possibly have seen you yet. "Watch out for any possible accomplices!". You didn't want to leave him, but as you heard the sounds of what was most likely the Kenny's reinforcements coming closer, you understood it was now or never. Besides, if you stayed you knew Levi would focus on helping you, and you couldn't be a distraction for him at a time like this. You nodded.
"Don't hold back!", you whispered as you let yourself fall down the side of the building. Sure enough, as you looked up, you were surrounded by people wearing gear that enabled them to manoeuvre around just like you, the only difference being that they had guns and you had blades. That gave them a very unfair advantage; You weren't equipped for long-range attacks.
'At least a couple of them must have seen me... Best get away from here fast and find Eren and Historia's wagon!'
You continued forward with a rapid speed, hearing the faint sound of wires whizzing behind you. You let yourself take a peak behind you, noticing two of the gunmen following you, behind them seeing Levi jump down from the roof while being shot at. He went in a completely different direction than you.
A bullet passing you, just missing your head, snapped you back into reality and you looked in front of you again. You were closing in on a wall and decided to use it to your advantage. As you reached it, you stopped with your feet planted firmly to the surface. You unbuttoned your cape, holding onto it while waiting just a second more to make the pursuers believe you didn't know they were there. You then let go of the cape once you heard the clicks of them reloading, while moving upwards as quick as you could, using it as a decoy. It worked, the gunmen repeatedly shooting your cape as you reached the roof, not noticing you weren't actually in the cape.
You wasted no time looking back at them, knowing it would only be a second before they noticed the cape was empty, and started making a run for it. You attached a pair of blades to your handles, jumping down the other side of the building, manoeuvring your way through a very busy street. You heard the gasps and screams from people as you passed them in a hurry. Through the loud noises of everyday life in a town you could hear the faint sound of the pursuers again. You started moving in zigzag-like patterns between the walls of the buildings, using alleyways to move between streets to try and confuse them, but they weren't to get rid of.
'Fuck! I need to check on the wagon as well! How do I get rid of them?!'
They had fired at you multiple times, but considering the distance as well as you using your abrupt-movement-tactic they always missed. You couldn't keep this up forever though. Looking down you noticed Keiji. Red substance leaving his head...
'Shit, they got him too'
You looked forward, realising that this meant they had hijacked the wagon... However, this also meant that they were close!
You swung yourself up to the roofs on the left side of the street, spotting the wagon a distance in front of you, eyes widening as you also noticed Levi following it. You used the hooks and gas to push yourself forwards quicker on top of the roof, noticing the two men now running on the roofs on the right side of the street. They started shooting at you, and you dodged them to the best of your abilities while continuing to move forwards, even resorting to using your blades as a shield a couple of times when you were certain you could predict their aim.
'I have to reach the wagon, but at this rate I might get shot!'
A little rattling sound coming from your boots made your eyes grow wide and your face go pale in realisation.
'My throwing knives... Could I possibly...?'
~Marco POV~
Sasha thought she heard multiple gunshot's coming from further into town, making us haste in that direction. Mikasa had dropped the bombshell that we'd be fighting humans now too, much to the surprise and dismay of the rest. I was no different. I don't want to fight humans, but I will if it comes down to it.
"You think Y/N is in trouble too?", Sasha asked as we closed in on the assigned meeting spot. The knot in my stomach tightened.
"I sure hope not, but by the sounds of it-", I stopped once I noticed a figure running along the rooftops a couple of streets down, followed by a couple of men... shooting? My eyes widened. "That's her! She's being chased!", I exclaimed, the others turning to look.
"What the hell!", Jean exclaimed distraught at the sight of their guns directed at her, it finally dawning on him that what Levi said about fighting humans were becoming reality. I felt my hands grasp tighter around my handles, wishing my gear could go faster.
As we got a little closer we watched as she reached for something in her boot. Further down the street we could see the hijacked wagon containing Eren and Historia, further confirming our suspicion that the plan had gone south. Levi was tailing it, someone chasing him as well. Levi pierced him with his hook, reeling him in before slicing him open with his blades. Everyone's eyes got wide at the sight. This was most definitely not what we signed up for when joining the scouts.
Y/N pulled her hand back out, knives glistening in the sun.
"Is that knives?!", Connie exclaimed as he squinted his eyes. She looked like she hesitated a moment, but after almost getting hit by another bullet she threw it, one of the men collapsing down over the edge of the roof. Levi suddenly joined us, following our gazes to meet the sight if Y/N throwing another knife, hitting the man clean in between his eyebrows. He fell over dead on the spot.
"Chase the wagon!", he ordered after a few seconds, pulling our eyes away from the scene. I was going to protest, but he shook his head while looking directly at me. "Do it! She'll catch up with us in a minute!". I looked over at her as she had started to run again before I hesitantly nodded.
"Yes sir!", Mikasa said serious, the rest of us following her, scared of what we would have to do.
~Normal POV~
You continued tailing the wagon, adrenalin pumping making you pay no mind to what you just did. You noticed your friends further down the street, closing in on the wagon.
'At least they are safe at the moment. We may just be able to stop that carriage!'
You boosted you leaps with the use of the gas and manage to close in on them considerably, to the point where you were running alongside the wagon on the roof. A lady were now pointing a gun directly at Jean's head. You quickly picked up another knife, noticing Armin shakingly aiming at her from behind.
'I can't let Armin do that, he won't be able to live with himself!'
You aimed for the lady's head when you suddenly felt something heavy on top of you. You fell with a scream and were were now laying on your back on the rooftiles, pinned down by a man you hadn't noticed coming. As his gun rested against your temple, you heard the sound of a gunshot, thinking the lady must have shot Jean.
"Jean!", you cried out, screaming for all to hear. You could swear you heard Marco and Sasha's voice calling out for you.
'Oh god, I hope they don't watch when this man finally pulls the trigger'
The man squeezed your throat hard to keep you from screaming. You heard the click of his gun as he prepared to fire it. The pressure around your throat was released when you saw a blade cut the mans throat, before being pushed over the edge.
"Levi", you hoarsely exclaimed as he grabbed your hand and pulled you along with him after the wagon. You stumbled along after him, looking down to see both Jean and Armin alive and well. Or, not well, they both looked like they were going to be sick, Armin especially.
'He must have shot her...'
"Shit! Armin, Jean!", Levi called out as he noticed three more showing up out of the blue. They all aimed at your friends in the wagon. You pulled your hand out of Levi's grasp and jumped down, tackling one of them mid-air. Marco and Sasha had already grabbed Jean and Armin right before the two remaining gunmen fired their shots. You felt the same rage-like feeling you felt when Bertholdt and Reiner transformed, take a hold of you as you looked at the lady pinned down beneath you. You were sick and tired of the world consistently sending threats that tried to kill your kind and innocent friends. You straddled her as you reached out for a new throwing knife.
You screamed enraged and jabbed it right into her temple. Your hands stayed grasping around the handle of the knife as you leaned your head down to rest on top of them with heavy breaths. The terrified look on her face right before your knife penetrated her skull felt like it was burnt into your mind, leaving you unable to see anything else. You gasped for air as the guilt stuffed your throat. To your left you could hear the faint screams of Mikasa calling out for Eren and the grunts from Levi as he probably tried to hold her back.
'They must have managed to take Eren and Historia away after all...'
"Y/N?", you heard Marco's voice carefully say, and you tensed up.
'He must think I'm a monster now... In fact, all of them saw what I just did... God, what have I done?!'
Who knows who those men and women were.. Did they have any family waiting for them at home?
"Y/N", Marco tried again, just as soft, now crouching down beside you. You realised you were still leaning against the knife, straddling the dead woman. You quickly let go, jerking up as you desperately crawled away from her, Marco's beyond worried face meeting your terrified one. You looked down on your bloody hands, recalling that you didn't just kill this woman, but also the two men earlier. Marco got up and slowly walked in your direction, cautious as to how you would react. You didn't know it, but you looked incredibly pale. What you did know, however, was that your stomach was turning violently.
Before Marco could reach you again, you scrambled over to a little alleyway a couple of steps away from where you sat, and started hurling up the content of your stomach that so desperately turned and gnawed inside you. Marco gasped and hurried over to keep your hair out of the way while gently stroking your back. You cried as it kept coming, the lady's face fresh in your mind. Marco let a few tears fall for you himself now that he was sure you couldn't see it. It was clear this was eating you up from the inside.
The rest had grouped up and watched the two of you in silence with their heads low from a distance, Armin fighting the exact same feeling as you did on the inside.
___________________________________
A/N:
Hey! Sorry, it's been a short while since posting. I had a lot of work this past week, but here is the next chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
~Jen