"Chi!" Levi screamed over the thundering shower of rubble. He wrapped his arms around both her and the little girl, rolling to the side just as the gigantic stone structure plummeted to the ground. Using his own body as a shield, he protected them against the debris pelting the earth.
"Levi!" Chi cried, helping him stand. The horse was nowhere in sight; it'd most likely ran off or gotten killed in the destruction. Quickly, she undid her 3DMG and strapped it onto Levi with swift fingers. "Get on my back!"
"What?" He fumbled with the gear, puzzled. "Why did you give me this? And why in hell would I ever get on your back, you idiot?"
"Because I can't run with it, and it will do you better than me. Now, either you get on, or all three of us will die!" Before Levi could protest any further, Chi lugged him on her back and hooked his legs around her waist, scooping up the child in her arms. "Hang on tight!"
"Hold o—" She shot off in a sharp burst of speed, dodging the rain of rubble. She hopped swiftly over dead bodies and broken structures alike, careful to hold the squealing girl tightly.
"You idiot, you're the one who's going to get us killed!" Levi cried.
"Well then, I'd rather go down trying to escape than sit there and wait for death!" Chi shot back, determined to get out of the disaster alive.
Levi's lips curled as he wrapped his arms tighter around her neck, saying, "You're an idiot... but you're quite an amazing one."
Her eyes widened at and she stumbled, but she caught herself.
"I'm aware," Chi snapped, her cheeks blossoming a pink shade.
"Don't expect me to be so kind."
Chi couldn't help but smile, picking up her speed. The little girl looked up at her with shimmering eyes, gasping as she gazed at Chi's incredibility. Never had she seen a soldier with such strength.
Finally, after what seemed like eons of running, the destruction calmed momentarily. Chi caught her breath as she let the both of them down.
"Lady, are you okay?" the little girl asked.
Chi smiled warmly and nodded. "Of course I am. Don't worry about me."
Levi crouched down to level with the child, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What's your name?" he asked in a voice that was much softer than usual.
"I'm Malorie," she chimed in a quiet voice, staring at the ground with those glimmering eyes.
"Malorie," Chi mused. "That's a beautiful name. You can call me Chi." She bent down next to Levi. "And this is Levi, humanity's strongest soldier."
Levi glared at Chi and quietly whispered, "You really had to mention that?"
She grinned mischievously. "Yes. It was necessary."
"Wow!" Malorie cheered, looking Levi over with wide eyes. "He's the strongest soldier of all time!"
"Yep! The one and only Levi!" Levi shot Chi another death glare with his metallic gaze.
"That's so cool! But... isn't he a little short?" Her observation caught both of the soldiers off-guard, and Chi burst out laughing. Crossing his arms, Levi huffed in frustration.
"Sure he is," Chi laughed, patting Malorie's blonde hair, "but it just makes him a lot more cuter than he already is, don't you think?" The young child pondered over her words for a view moments.
Then Malorie whispered, "Are you and Ree-Vai boyfriend and girlfriend?" Chi laughed again.
"It's Levi," she corrected, wiping away a tear, "and yes, he is my lover."
Malorie giggled behind her hand, motioning for Chi's ear again.
"Then, have you two... kissed?" she asked eagerly.
Chi nodded once and winked at her, tiptoeing to where Levi's back faced them. Then she spun him quickly, a bewildered expression on his face. She planted a small peck on his cheek and turned, saying, "See?"
Happily, Malorie squealed, jumping up and down on her toes. "Ooh, just like a prince and princess!"
"...Yeah," Chi agreed, her expression softening.
"What was that for, you idiot?" Levi cried in embarrassment, rubbing his cheek. He tried to appear somber. "We're in public. But... I digress. We have to get to Erwin immediately; we've wasted too much time as it is."
"Of course... but what of Malorie? We can't leave her here by herself."
Then, as if right on cue, a deep voice called, "Malorie!"
The two soldiers turned to see a man running up to them, his arms outstretched as tears ran down his face.
"Daddy!" Malorie screamed, dashing up to the man. He immediately pulled the small child into his arms. Chi recognized him instantly: he was the man she had had an altercation with the day they returned from the 57th Expedition. He was the one that complained, wishing that each of the soldiers had died. Hatred flared and stirred inside Chi as his face became more and more clear in her mind.
Levi grabbed her wrist in warning and mouthed, Don't do anything dangerous. They went over to the man.
"I take it you're her father?" Chi asked with a glare. The man looked into her eyes, his beady ones widening when he recognized her. A look of disgust appeared on his stricken face, his wrinkles deepening.
"I am," he spat. "But what do the Survey Corps have to do with me and my child?"
"Daddy, daddy!" Malorie interrupted. She briefly left his arms to give Chi a tight hug. "This is Chi, andーand this is Ree-Vai!" She went up to Levi and hugged his leg.
"They saved me!" Malorie squeaked. "They're my heroes! Like a prince and princess! Andーand they protected me like heroes!"
The old man looked shocked when his daughter mentioned that the Corps had saved his beloved daughter.
"You twoーyou two saved her?" he sputtered.
"Of course," Chi scoffed. "It would be outside of the Corps' ethics to leave her behind with the threat of danger." The man grimaced.
"Hmph," he sighed. "Then I guess... I should thank you." Chi smiled again as Malorie gave her father another hug. The sight was so pure; it didn't belong in a world like this.
"And my wife?" the man asked hurriedly. "Where is she? Why isn't she with you?"
"Ah," Levi breathed. "That isn't matter to speak about around your daughter, but... she's gone."
"Gone?" His face crumbled completely as he broke down into tears, sobbing into the shoulder of his confused daughter.
"No! My dear Lucia! She cannot be dead!" Then, infuriated, he stood and shoved his little girl behind him. He pointed a finger accusingly at the soldiers, roaring, "You! You useless Corps! You could have saved my love Lucia, couldn't you?! But you didn't, and it's your fault she's dead! You useless scum... begone from this world already!"
"Shut the hell up, you stupid old man!" Chi retorted. "There was nothing we could do! She was dead by the time we found Malorie. You should be grateful we were able to save your daughter! How dare you act this way in front of your child!"
"That doesn't matter. All you useless soldiers ever bring upon the civilians is chaos!" He whipped around and roughly grabbed his daughter's arm, pulling her away. Malorie resisted feebly. She turned and reached out toward Chi, a befallen look on her face.
"Don't," Levi warned. "That old geezer won't listen to reason. It'll only get worse if we get involved."
"But...but!" Chi protested. "I want to teach him a lesson! First he says that we should all die, and now he's being an ungrateful bastard!"
"Calm down. You know that the greed of man is a flame that can never be extinguished. We need to focus on getting to Erwin, alright?"
"...Fine." Chi groaned and pursed her lips in defeat. "He's right. That stupid guy is absolutely right. I should've been able to save Malorie's mother!"
"No, you couldn't have." Tenderly, Levi wrapped his arms around her. "Don't let him put these thoughts into your head, you idiot. Now come. We should get going."
Chi nodded and blinked away the tears of frustration, prepared to sacrifice herself for anyone they came across.
"Let's go," she said.
He took her hand. Their fingers interlocked as they walked into the havoc, readying themselves for the battle of turmoil and mayhem.