Everyone was on edge when they finally reached Lord Reiss' land. The squad, which Levi had informed Leah was the new Levi Squad, was quick to unload what little resources they had. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon, and Leah could feel that. Her body was sluggish from exhaustion. She'd been on the move for days now, and hadn't slept in over 24 hours.
Leah was also the only person who didn't have any ODM Gear, rendering her practically useless in a fight. She did however have a lethal gun, something she really hoped she wouldn't have to use, but knew she most likely would. Her conscience had troubled her enough when she heard there was a chance all titans had once been human beings, with her titan kill count was well into the hundreds. She'd spoken briefly about this on the journey in and Levi was firm about the fact it wasn't murder if your life was on the line. In this case - hesitate, for even a moment, and you or your team will die.
Her gun had a limited number of bullets, all of which were in a pouch around her waist, meaning after every shot she'd have to momentarily take her eyes off the target to reload her rifle. Overall, Leah wasn't very well equipped for this battle and everyone knew it, letting her know through the nervous glances being sent her way.
As barrels of oil and gunpowder were being unloaded from the wagons, Levi approached Leah and calmly walked her away from the main group. His talk earlier in the wagon about how dangerous an opponent Kenny was, definitely didn't reassure Leah.
"You need to relax," Levi's eyes travelled to Leah's hands at her side which she swiftly clenched into a fist. "If you keep shaking like that you'll never hit your shots." His words weren't reprimanding, merely a gentle observation. Leah bowed her head slightly.
"I feel useless, Levi. No blades, no ODM Gear. Just this stupid gun." Leah angrily grabbed her gun and brandished it above her head. Levi raised his arms to grasp hers and lower them back to her side. "Relax."
His hands lingered on her forearms, and for a moment Leah did feel herself calm slightly. Levi took a deep breath, removed his hands from her and ran a a hand through his hair. "If you can't do it, you can wait out here for Erwin and the others to arrive."
"I can do it."
Levi gave her a small, approving nod and the two just looked at each other for a moment, something which seemed to be a reoccurring theme. Leah wondered what was going on in his mind. Levi wondered what he could do to protect Leah during the inevitable fight. Eventually they broke their gaze when Hange poked their head out the Chapel and called for them in a hushed voice.
"Hey, you two. We found a hidden door in the floor, let's get moving."
Before either of them could respond Hange's head had disappeared again. Outside the Chapel was silent now that everyone had gone inside. Leah sighed deeply, enjoying peace for the last time before battle. Her grip tightened on the neck of her gun. "Remember how you said you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"
Levi narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yes..." He replied uncertainly, taking his eyes off her to continue checking the gear on his hips. "Well, if we both make it out of this alive, I've got something I need to talk to you about too." Leah intended on telling Levi the plan between herself and Erwin. She wasn't worried about asking Erwin first, if the chance didn't arise. What mattered now, was Levi forgave her and knew the full story. Levi smirked slightly, "I guess I'll make a point of not dying then."
-
Leah kicked open the heavy wooden double doors to the secret basement, before jumping back to let Armin and Sasha throw the flammable barrels through. Their plan was officially in motion. "Go, go, go." Leah instructed, pushing everyone out the door with a hand on their back. She was to take up the rear, waiting by the door of the basement to act as a long-range sniper.
As soon as she stepped out the door behind Moblit, she had to fight hard not to stand there in awe of the giant, high-ceiling, crystal maze they stood in. The room stretched further than Leah could see, illuminated mysteriously by what seemed to be the crystal itself. A bang snapped her back to reality as Sasha set off one of the oil barrels with a flaming arrow.
Leah dropped to her knees next to Sasha and raised her gun, closing one eye as she scanned the room for a target. The door by which they knelt was elevated from the floor of the room, which was just as well as unsurprisingly the floor began to disappear underneath a thick blanket of smoke, as the oil in the barrels burnt away. This smoke provided Mikasa and Levi with cover as they used their gear to get in closer to the enemy and scout out their position.
Smoke flares fired as distractions, and Leah took the time to steady the rifle in her slightly shaking hands. Eventually Levi's voice echoed back to them, "35 total! In the upper parts of the pillars. Continue the plan, we'll take them all out right here."
As Leah's gaze snapped up to where Levi had described, most of the squad shot into the air, joining in with their ODM Gear. The ginger's eyes watched as the enemy soldiers leapt down from platforms attached to the crystal pillars dotted throughout the enormous room only to be immediately encased in suffocating, sooty smoke as Sasha let loose a second firey arrow.
Leah's job was to cover her squad's backs. Her eyes darted around, waiting for an obvious target. Everyone was impossibly fast with their ODM Gear making it hard to distinguish between team and enemy. On top of that, once she fired her gun, they'd know she was here and that would likely increase her chances of being shot, so Leah chose to hang fire until absolutely necessary.
Her finger rested on the trigger as she focused on keeping her breathing steady. Eventually she spotted a fatal situation as Connie found himself in a two versus one, surrounded on both sides. Leah squeezed the trigger of the rifle, firing a bullet at a male preparing to do the same to Connie. The gunshot roared through the room and echoed back through the chaos seconds later as the male's body fell to the ground, dead. Leah's stomach twisted.
Eyes travelled to her position in the room as she swiftly began reloading her gun, trying to control her fumbling hands. Before long her one kill became two, which then became three. The enemy was dropping like flies, sorely having underestimates the Scout's plus Leah's strength.
Levi was unstoppable once he was in the zone. More than once Leah found herself watching him dance through the air and cut down people like they were no tougher than paper. That was until who Leah could only assume was Kenny the ripper appeared. The man was tall, lean and carried himself with an air of malice. He was quick to engage with Levi and Leah had never seen the raven-haired Captain so flustered in his life. The older male predicted every move Levi was about to make and acted accordingly, even drawing blood in the form of a small incision on Levi's cheek.
Leah followed the pair as they weaved through the pillars, waiting for a clear shot at Kenny. And when that shot came she took it. Again a bang rumbled through the air and Leah watched as her bullet clipped Kenny's shoulder mid flight. "Gah-" Kenny finally tore his eyes off Levi and searched for Leah. When his cold eyes found her's she glared back at him, a scowl of concentration fixed on her face. "You lil' bitch!" He roared, raising his free gun and pointing it at Leah. Levi took the opportunity to slice across Kenny's stomach with his blades, leaving the older male with a deep gash along his side.
Suddenly Leah's eyes met Hange's figure, soaring about fifty feet away and giving chase to a blonde female. Leah hastened to reload as the two grew closer. The blonde fired at Hange, missing by a long shot. But as Hange made to swing over the blonde soldier fired her grapple into the brunette's shoulder and used the anchorage to fling them against one of the many pillars. Hange's body slammed against the crystal before falling motionless to the floor.
"Hange!" Leah screeched. Without a second thought the red-head threw herself from her vantage point and towards the ground 6 feet below her. She tumbled over when her feet hit the floor and rolled forward, using the momentum to right herself again. Shots whizzed past her head but Leah kept her attention fixed on Hange's body. As she ran, she shoved a bullet into its slot and clicked the loaded gun into place before firing blindly at the first retreating enemy she set her eyes on.
The bullet found its target with ease and the corpse fell to the floor with a muted thud. Leah's knees buckled beneath her just as she reached Hange's side. There was a crimson streak of blood on the ground from where their body had slid. Leah grabbed Hange's opposite shoulder and rolled them onto their back with difficulty.
"Hange- Hange, talk to me!" Leah cupped the brunette's face with her hands, but their eyes remained closed. Without hesitation Leah ripped her green cape off from around her shoulders and crumpled it up before pressing it against the blossoming red stain on their right shoulder.
As Leah increased the pressure, pushing down on the shoulder with all her upper body strength to staunch the bleeding, Hange let out a weak groan. Leah craned her neck to look for help, "Levi- Moblit- somebody help!" On cue Moblit fell to his knees beside her, scanning Hange's body with concern. "Help me lift them!" He said in a slur, trying to haul Hange's limp body into his arms. Leah hooked one of Hange's arms over her shoulder and between them, they began carrying Hange to the closest exit. It seemed they'd unknowingly moved deeper into the cave-like basement and now Leah realised she could no longer remember which direction the doors were.
The way ahead through a gap in the walls was blocked by the enemy, a rope net blocking their path. Above them was a wooden grate in the ceiling, but even with ODM Gear it would be impossible to navigate Hange through. Before Moblit and Leah could move Hange any further a blinding yellow light flashed in the air. Leah recognised this as somebody taking titan form and her mind immediately thought of Eren. When his usual crazed scream didn't reach her ears, and instead a hot breeze whooshed through the air, Leah knew it wasn't Eren becoming a titan.
The crystal around them crunched worryingly, "Hey guys, this place is about to collapse!" Sasha said as chunks of solid tumbled from the ceiling. Moblit and Leah braced Hange between them, trying to stay standing in the strong wind. "Captain- it opened up!"
Armin pointed a hand at the ceiling where the grate had previously been and where a gaping hole now stood. Hope willed Leah on. Levi's eyes flickered between the hole in the ceiling, Leah and Moblit and then Armin. "Okay, Armin, Moblit, you two take Hange and find a way out of here!" He ordered, lifting an arm to his cheek to wipe away the blood from the newly formed cut. Leah felt the weight on her shoulders shift and suddenly Armin was in her place. Leah gave him a small, appreciative smile.
Levi seized the woman's arm and dragged her away from them, "Hold on to me, we need to get to Eren- fast." Levi's arm snaked around her waist and instinctively Leah put an arm over his shoulder. Without much warning, Levi kicked off into the air and used his gear to carry the two of them through the collapsing cave and towards where the yellow light was being emitted. Leah swung her other arm up to wrap around Levi, clutching onto him for dear life. Mikasa shot ahead of them, leading the way.
Within seconds Eren was in view. He was knelt on a podium-like structure, both his arms spread by chains running from the walls and further metal caging him to the floor. In shock, Leah's grip faltered and she felt Levi's arm tighten around her. The wind here was even stronger and Leah's panic swelled when off to the size a giant titan like beast was slowly materialising. She'd never seen anything like it before. It's spine was pressing more and more into the stone ceiling, forcing it to start cracking.
Leah's feet met ground again and Levi's arm disappeared from around her, as he moved to address Historia off to the side. "Give me the keys!" He barked at the blonde girl. Eren twisted in his chains to look back at everyone. Blood streamed from a laceration in his forehead, trickling down his face and eyes. "Captain- all of you-" He stammered, emotion rising in his voice. Jean leapt forward and helped as Levi started working on the locks on Eren's chains. And then Eren's eyes landed on Leah. He twisted his head even further round and gaped at her, "Leah!" He cried out, wriggling in his chains which earned him a sharp knee to the ribs from Levi. "Quit moving!"
Leah ran forward, ducking under the chains and crouching before Eren. "Hey- are you alright?" Her voice was laced with worry as she lifted the sleeve of her white shirt and started wiping the blood from his eyes. "No- no- just leave me here, forget it! Hurry up and escape!" He shrieked as Levi got his first arm free from the manacles. "Eren, that's not happening. Now hold still so we can break you out, okay?" Leah put a hand on his his cheek. Eren nodded reluctantly and continued to look between Jean, Leah and Levi.
"Yeah, stop whining, you half-naked weirdo! We've got gun-men and a titan coming at us, so pipe down." Jean retorted as Connie began working to undo the metal around Eren's feet. The gale around them grew hotter as more steam evaporated from the emerging titan. When the last lock around Eren's foot popped open, Leah grabbed the keychain from Connie and thrust it into Jean's hands. They were swiftly running out of time and a rumble through the walls and ceiling confirmed this. More of the structure crumbled around them, stone and crystal raining down on them.
"The ceiling- look out!"
Leah looked up to see a large boulder fall loose from above them, hurtling down towards them. Just in time, Jean freed Eren's final arm and Leah dived forward into the four males before her, using all her strength to send them tumbling backwards out of the road. The five of them scrambled up, retreating from the eroding platform and pressing themselves against the wall next to the others as a hurricane of steam and rocks flew around them.
Leah's heart pounded in her chest as she leaned her body weight into the trembling wall behind her. As she stared on at the monstrous titan, which now took up nearly all of the hall before them, she quickly realised there was no way out of this. They were going to die here; doomed to be buried under the rubble. A hand grabbed hers and Leah turned her attention to Levi beside her. His eyes were fixed on the beast, narrowed and calculating with the slight hint of terror. His hand was perfectly still as it held onto hers.
"We can't fly through this, Levi-" Leah shouted over the deafening sound of falling rocks. "Listen," Levi started calmly, leaning forward to look past Leah and towards Eren, who's face was now streaked with tears, "I really hate that I do this to you all the time, but you've got to make a choice here."
Leah thought back to the 57th recon mission, the same mission that lead to the deaths of the original Levi Squad. Back then Levi had forced Eren to make a choice, just as difficult as the present situation. Leah could remember the fear she felt in that moment, as the female titan's footsteps grew closer behind her. Death was moments away from her then, just as it was now. Eren had chosen to trust in his squad, and still almost the all of them died. Leah squeezed Levi's hand subconsciously as they both watched as Eren's face hardened with resolution.
He let out a determined roar as he jolted forward and bit down on a small glass bottle, holding in it a silvery serum. His legs carried him off the end of the platform and into thin air. The explosion of golden light that followed caused Leah to squeeze her eyes shut and when she opened them again, Eren's titan was knelt before them. A web of crystal stemming from his titan began growing around them. Leah realised he was using his hardening ability, though this was a much larger scale than she'd ever seen used before.
Levi ran forward, pulling Leah behind him as his hand still linked with hers. "C'mon, get under Eren." The rest of the squad followed suit and they all huddled beside Eren's colossal foot. Leah wrapped her arms around the teenagers, protectively shielding them with her body as rubble seeped through the network of crystal Eren was hiding them in. Leah felt warmth against her back as Levi pressed himself against her covering her body with his. His hair brushed her cheek as he hung his head to hide from the dust in the air and the group remained like that until the ground stopped shaking beneath them.
-
The world was silent. The chaos had stopped. And their small squad stood before a giant crystalline version of Eren's titan. Intricate pillars of crystal branched out of the ground and wove together above them, creating a dome that shielded them from the falling rocks. Eren had saved them all.
Eren's ability to harden to this extent meant wonders for their chances of sealing Wall Maria. Leah was speechless that a boy of his age could accomplish something so taxing. When Sasha and Connie reappeared through a hole in the ceiling, claiming to have a safe exit and that Hange was safe, Leah let out a long breath of relief. Her shoulders slumped and she ran a hand over her face.
Her hand came away bloody. She stared at the scarlet dripping from her hand in confusion, unsure of where it was leaking from. "Here." Mikasa said softly, pulling some cloth from her pocket and dabbing it against Leah's chin, where the skin had broken in a clean wound.
"Thanks. Are you hurt?" Leah's gave Mikasa a once over, trying to notice any obvious injuries. The raven-haired girl shook her head softly and gave Leah a small smile. "Let's go," Levi spoke up. "We have a big ass titan to catch."
Levi made his way over to Leah, "You ready this time?" He nodded towards the hole in the ceiling, somewhere Leah definitely couldn't reach without ODM Gear. Leah smirked slightly, "Ready." Levi fluidly wrapped an arm around the woman's torso and tugged her closer. "Don't let go until I say." He muttered, his eyes scanning the ceiling. In preperation, Leah wrapped both her arms around his neck just in time for Levi to shoot into the air again. This time she focused her eyes on Levi. His gaze was fixed above them, his head tilted back to reveal that jawline she'd admired many times before. Through the dimness of the cave the blue of his eyes sparkled. His lips parted just enough for his tongue to dart out to wet his lips. Just before the surface Levi set Leah down again, since the ground began to slope at a suitable gradient to climb.
"Will you managed the rest?" He looked to her, his arm still around her for stability. Leah chuckled, "I'm pretty capable, yes." And with that she slipped from his grasp and began scrambling up the dirt slope. Levi shook his head, a smile quirking up the corner of his lips in amusement. He stood back and watched with his hands on his hips as Leah struggled her way to the surface, where she even rejected help from Armin. When she finally stood on grass again she rubbed her hands on her thighs to rid them of dirt and beamed down at Levi. "See, capable."
(3520 words)