Elysian woke the next morning in her bed. Her entire body ached, every fibre screaming in pain. Her head was pounding and she raised a bloodied hand up to rub it, groaning loudly. Her entire abdomen was on fire, and she bit back a silent scream when she sat up. Her roommate had already left for the morning and the room was awfully silent. She remembered revealing her name to Levi last night but everything after that was blank. Had she passed out against his desk? Somehow, she had gotten back to her room, and she doubted she had gotten herself back. It must have been around breakfast time, but she couldn't bring herself to get out of bed just for that, so she slumped back down and passed out once again.
Many people had noticed Elysians absence at breakfast. Although she wasn't one to socialise, those who did speak to her (and those who hated her) noticed she wasn't in her usual spot in the corner.
"Hey, have you seen Elysian this morning?" Armin nudged Sasha, who was almost inhaling her morning rations, bread crumbs littering her clothes and the table.
"Haven't seen her since yesterday," Sasha replied without even looking up. Her roommate had turned up to breakfast earlier on and hadn't spoken about Elysian at all, so it seemed like nothing much was wrong, but Armin still had an odd feeling. He pushed it aside and tried to ignore it, but he kept glancing at her rations left on the side, still uneaten. Breakfast came and went without any appearance from her, and even in morning training her lack of presence wasn't acknowledged. Captain Levi didn't seem bothered by the fact that Elysian was missing at all and the drills went on as usual. As soon as lunch time rolled around, Armin excused himself and walked to her room. He stopped just before he knocked, his hand hanging in the air. What if she was actually fine? Or just sick, and had been granted the day off? What if she didn't want to see him? He took a shaky breath before he shoved these thoughts aside. He considered her a friend, and hoped that she considered him one too, so a check up wasn't unusual at all. He rapped his knuckles three times on the door and held his breath as he waited for a response, letting it out when he received an annoyed, "What?" he creaked the door open and peeked his head into the dark room.
"Hey, Elysian. Um, it's Armin. You weren't at breakfast or in morning training so I just wanted to see if you were okay.." The room was very dark but he could see her figure laying down on her bed, blankets kicked to the side. She had drawn the curtains over the window and had her eyes closed, obviously wanting peace and darkness. Armin felt like he was intruding, but he wanted to check that she was actually okay.
"I'm fine, Armin. Aren't you meant to be at lunch right now?" She asked. She sounded tired but not sick, so that was a bonus in his eyes.
"Yeah. Why don't you come with me? You haven't eaten at all today, you need the food to keep your strength up."
"Can't. Stomach ache."
"Stomach ache? Is it so bad that you can't walk?" The worry in Armin's voice was almost agitating and made her want to just get up and go, but she hadn't got up to wipe away any of the dried blood, nor clean the small wounds she had, so even if she wanted to go and eat she couldn't. She'd have to get to the bathroom first, and even then her abdomen was still burning dully. It was more effort than it was worth.
"Yeah."
"Do you have a headache too?"
"No."
"Then why not open the curtains-" Armin walked over and ripped open the curtains before Elysian could tell him not to. She covered her eyes and winced against the light as Armin's eyes widened. Harsh green bruises bloomed across the small amount of stomach that was exposed and he could see large amounts of dried blood on the sheets underneath her. He let out a short gasp and she gritted her teeth in response.
"I had those closed for a reason." Armin stared at her for a moment before opening the bottom drawer of the room's chest of drawers, pulling out a first aid kit and slowly approaching her again.
"I'm sorry, I should've asked before opening the curtains. May I have a look? Where the blood is coming from, I mean." She stared at him for a moment before gently nodding, turning around and lifting the bottom of her shirt, revealing the few cuts and scrapes over her back from where Levi had slammed her into the wall. Armin gently rubbed wet bathroom paper over them to remove all of the leftover blood. As he did, he wondered who had done this. As much as he wanted to just ask, he knew that wouldn't work and she wouldn't tell him. He knew she didn't trust him that much just yet. Once all of the blood was gone he gently rubbed an antiseptic over them, apologising profusely when Elysian hissed at the pain. They looked significantly better once they were cleaned and most likely wouldn't scar.
"Is there anywhere else?"
"I have dried blood on my face. Can I have one of those wipes?" Armin shook his head.
"No no, don't stress. I can do it." He pulled a fresh wipe and began dabbing gently at the remaining dried blood on her chin, focussing intently. She watched him, once again finding herself staring at his bright eyes and soft features, watching how the sun fell over the curve of his nose and lit up his eyes even more. She felt the wipe gently wipe away the blood and felt her mood increase slowly. He very gently wiped the blood from her lips as well, leaving them both blushing slightly. "There, all done!" He said with a smile.
"Thanks."
"Would you like to come and get some food now? We still have time." Elysian really couldn't help but smile at this and Armins heart fluttered a little at the sight.
"Yeah. Wait outside. I need to change." He nodded and left, closing the door behind himself. Many people passed him and gave him an odd look, to which he offered an awkward smile in return. Elysian emerged a few minutes later in her usual long sleeved black shirt along with the typical scout uniform. There was no evidence of any injury whatsoever, just her usual eyebags and bad posture. Her usual glare and set jaw had also returned, a shock from the vulnerability and smile Armin had seen just minutes before. The two walked in a comfortable silence and almost shoulder to shoulder. The mess hall was quiet when they entered, and everyone turned to watch as they entered. It was normal for Elysian to be late to lunch, but not Armin - he was usually on time and with Eren and Mikasa, so seeing him turn up late with Elysian was highly unusual. As they walked to pick up their rations many of their comrades offered snickers and whispers, which Armin turned red at and Elysian ignored. They both joined Eren and Mikasa in the far corner.
"Armin, are you okay? You were late today." Mikasa enquired. Armin opened his mouth to respond but was quickly cut off by Elysian.
"He was busy taking a massive shit." Armin choked on his bread and Elysian bit back a laugh at the reaction, whacking him on the back to stop him choking. Eren and Mikasa watched the pair with eyebrows raised. Once Armin had stopped choking he just stared at the floor, his face completely crimson as Elysian tried damn hard not to smirk. The two finished their rations quickly and left alongside Eren and Mikasa, who were still curiously watching the two as they walked and quietly spoke to each other, their shoulders bumping every now and then from the proximity. They arrived in the boardroom where a handful of others were waiting for the Commander, and the four slid into seats side by side. Less than ten minutes later, Squad Leader Hange, Captain Levi and Commander Erwin Smith enter the room and gather around a table placed at the front, spreading out a long piece of paper.
"Good afternoon, cadets. I have gathered you here to discuss the recent titan attack on the 57th expedition, and how we are going to combat it. We already have a fair idea of who the Female Titan is, but we must be careful and strategic in our plan to capture her," Erwin looked around at all of the blank faces before continuing. "Armin, you have an idea of who the female titan is. Would you share the reasoning behind your suspicions?"
"I believe the female titan is Annie, who currently resides in the military police. When we were on the expedition, the titan knocked both Elysian and I off of our horses, but she didn't kill us. She lifted our hoods to see who we were and then she left. This means she's intelligent, just like Eren, and this was the first sign that she was someone inside a titans body. Also, at last week's ODM gear inspection, Annie didn't present her own gear. She presented Marco's." Armin said.
"Should Annie be the female titan, then she has access to vital information she could be passing onto someone else. We need to capture and interrogate her immediately so we have formulated a plan. Armin, Eren and Mikasa will infiltrate Wall Sina and get her into the underground tunnel. This will give you the chance to restrain her - she won't be able to transform in the enclosed environment. Should this plan fail, you will have a signal flare. Fire it, and the scouts that we will have positioned on the rooftop will restrain Annie from the outside. Elysian, I want you to stand close by to the tunnel and lead the surrounding scouts. your combat abilities will be helpful should Annie cause trouble." Elysian nodded slightly. "The plan will take place tomorrow. Make sure you eat and rest well tonight." The soldiers saluted and then left the room. Elysian felt Levis' eyes on her as she left, but she ignored him and walked past, not wanting to risk another beating and not wanting any confrontation.
That evening, Elysian ate her rations underneath the tree on the training field. She had come to frequent this tree, enjoying the view of the sunset it gave her and also how she could faintly hear the chatter and laughter from the mess hall from here too. The ground wasn't too bumpy and there was a ridge in the tree where she could rest against without it being uncomfortable. Her abdomen wasn't burning as much now which was a huge relief; tomorrow's mission would be considerably easier without intense gut pain. A small breeze fluttered across her face and she closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and just relaxing for a moment. Her thoughts drifted from her father, to Armin, to tomorrow's mission. She wasn't nervous about tomorrow (hell, she was excited for the chance to fight again) but she hoped everyone would be okay. A smile crept across her cheeks knowing her father would be horrifically disappointed in her to see that she cared about others. Disappointing Kenny sure felt good.
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The next afternoon, Elysian stood atop a roof roughly 200 metres from the tunnel that the trio were going to attempt to lead Annie down. They should be here any minute and Elysian was practically shaking with excitement at being able to fight again. Other soldiers were perched further away and in all directions, hiding behind chimneys so Annie wouldn't be able to see them, all in plain clothes and with their hands on their swords, many of them sweating with nerves. The prospect of seeing the Female Titan again after their last encounter was electric, and Elysian couldn't wait to slice her ankles.
Not fifteen minutes later, the three cadets came out and headed towards the tunnel, Annie walking slightly behind them, but as expected, she refused to go down. Eren, Armin and Mikasa stood just inside the tunnel as Annie stood in front, laughing like a madman. In just a few seconds, Mikasa had drawn her sword, Armin had fired the signal flare and everyone on the roof had restrained Annie, her arms pulled back and feet struggling for purchase. Just as Elysian also went to help restrain Annie, she saw a small silver glint, and a splash of blood. Before she could begin to warn everyone, a catastrophic explosion blew them all backwards, their backs slamming into buildings and the air being knocked from all of their lungs leaving them spluttering up mouthfuls of blood and dust. She herself was thrown back several buildings, smashing her back and head into roofing tiles. She couldn't tell if the cracking she heard was from the tiles or her bones, but with the rush of adrenaline she couldn't feel any pain anyway. The sound of breaking stone was thunderous, and Elysian quickly headed towards it. The female titan had her foot buried in the tunnel the trio had gone down with her heel digging in, clearly intent on doing considerable damage. She lifts her foot and smashes it into the tunnel once more, but is attacked by more soldiers before she can do it again. Elysian quickly scans the environment and sees Armin and Mikasa coming out.
"Only two? Where's Eren?" Elysian thought to herself. As the two exited the tunnel, she flew down, coughing away dust and moving through rubble. After climbing up a few risky chunks of tunnel wall, she comes to a brutally injured Eren, laying and mumbling to himself.
"Oi, Eren, are you gonna lay there forever?" Elysian said, gently pushing away the rubble from around him. He had a wooden beam straight through his stomach and dried blood on his mouth.
"Can't.. Transform." he mumbled back.
"You can't transform? Why?"
"Annie.. Why did she do this? I thought she was on our side."
"Well she isn't. She betrayed us, and it really looks like she doesn't give two shades of shit about it. People betray people, Eren, it's always happened. That's just the way it is." Elysian couldn't say she'd ever seen Eren look this sad, and it was pathetic. "What. Yaeger? You just gonna lay there and give up? One stupid fucking stake to the stomach and you're giving up? Fucking fight, Eren! For you, for Armin, for Mikasa, for everyone who's waiting for you to get the fuck up and carry on. Humaity is depending on you right now." Eren groaned and began sitting up, his face contorting from the pain of driving the stake further into himself but then he screamed, an absolutely deafening scream followed by an equally deafening crack of lightning. Eren stood in his titan form next to Elysian, who gave him a wicked grin. "I knew you could do it, dickhead." Eren set off at full speed and Elysian followed after.
As Eren headed straight for the female titan, Elysian perched on a roof once more, not too far away and watched. She hadn't even noticed when he'd shown up and so had taken a punch straight to the face which had knocked her off her feet. As the two titans brawl and move away, Elysian follows alongside the others, right until Eren reveals Annies crystalised self. Anger spikes inside Elysian at seeing this. It's cowardice, pure and utter cowardice, to hide from those you caused pain when you're finally caught. All the deaths she caused, all the damage, the families torn apart, and she hides when she's caught. Levi has the now unconscious Eren taken from his titan body and the crystalised Annie is rolled onto a cart to be taken home, but the rage that is burning inside Elysian stays long after they return.
In the evening, she goes with Mikasa, Jean and Armin to visit Eren. He's still sleeping peacefully when they arrive and each takes a seat either side of the bed. Elysian notes the steam that is still billowing from his head and the red marks streaking down his face. The days earlier events left the city in rubble and tens of soldiers dead, only for Annie to hide from the consequences of her actions. Eren began to stir from his sleep, his eyes slowly cracking open. Mikasa and Armin greeted him with massive grins on their faces and happy exclaims, while Jean and Elysian sat peacefully, small smiles playing on each of their faces.
"Where's Annie?" He asks sleepily.
"She's being kept underground. She's still completely crystalised, and will be kept down there until we can figure out how to get her out of the crystal." Armin replies, looking sadly down at his friend. Eren just nods at Armin and turns to Elysian.
"Thank you," He mumbles. She chuckles lightly.
"Don't mention it." she replies. The door behind them opens and in comes a court commander.
"Soldier Artlert and Soldier Kirchstein, we require you both for questioning." The two boys nod and get up, leaving with hurried goodbyes. Elysian also gets up and leaves silently, with no goodbyes, and the door clicks shut behind her. She heads back down the hall and back out to the tree, but stops when she spots another figure fiddling with a fallen leaf. It couldn't be Armin, and no one else usually appears at the tree. As she gets closer, she recognises the black undercut and sighs heavily. It's Levi.
As she approaches, he turns and watches, crushing the leaf in his fist.
"Aren't you meant to be in court?" she asks. She slumps down against the tree in her usual spot and watches the sun over the barracks.
"I've been summoned, but I wanted to see how you are first." Elysian chuckled lightly in response. Levi sat down awkwardly next to her.
"I'm fine, Levi."
"I, uh, well. I apologise for the other day. I didn't mean to do such damage." Elysian raised an eyebrow and her abdomen twinged. It still throbbed dully every now and then but she'd got used to it.
"It's fine."
"You really are Kennys kid. You've got the same hair, the same jaw, the same look in your eyes."
"I really am. Shocking to think I look so much like him, huh?"
"Who was your mother?"
"I don't know. Some prostitute or widow Kenny hooked up with one night. Nine months later, she plopped little old me into his arms and ran."
"You don't call him dad. Why not?"
"He wasn't a dad. He was just a man with a kid he didn't want. He didn't see me as his daughter, he saw me as a soldier he could use to get what he wanted. If he had loved me, cared for me genuinely, raised me to be a happy kid who, I dunno, fukin ate dirt and draw happy little pictures then maybe i'll call him dad. But he didn't." They sat in silence for a moment after that. Elysian hadn't meant to reveal so much, but she couldn't really help it.
"What did you come here for? I know damn well you didn't come here to fight titans and play friends."
"To find you. One of Kenny's mates let slip one night that you existed and I wanted to... y'know.. see for myself. " Levi understood that. He too had wanted family after Kenny had left him and he'd found it in Erwin, Miche and, as much as he hated to admit it, Hanji. She couldn't see it yet, but she had it too; In Mikasa, Eren, and him. A shout rang out for Levi, signalling the departure for court and he stood, dusting himself off and giving her a fleeting look as he left.
"Make sure you get some sleep." was the last thing he said to her before he left, and she just nodded.
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what a nice little bond they have here.
it'd be a shame to tear it apart :)
let the fun start, darlings.