CHAPTER 17 - The Changes

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"M-Mikasa?" Eren said as soon as he opened his eyes, seeing Mikasa in front of him. Mikasa smiled at him as she held his hand tightly with her hands.

Eren sat up straight with his eyes wide open as he looked around the room, looking for somebody. "Where's Annie?!" He asked.

Mikasa smile faded, as her face returned to its plain state. She could not understand what she felt. She was not sad, she was not angry either. She was just not used to what Eren had said. They really grew closer to each other. She thought as she let go of Eren's hand.

"She's in another place." Mikasa plainly said before she stood up and went to the door.

Eren sat up before he called her. "W-wait! Mikasa, where are you going?"

Mikasa stopped and looked back at Eren before she answered his question. "I'm going to get you some food. You might be hungry." She said and left the room, leaving Eren inside, alone.

"Levi..." Mikasa uttered as soon as she stepped out of the room where she came from.

"Is Jaeger doing well?" He asked, even though his real question was if Mikasa was doing well, since he could see it on her face that things were not going smoothly for her. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Mikasa looked at him before she shook her head lightly. "Nothing." She said and showed Levi a fainted smile on her face. "It's just that, a lot of things had changed already. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, what's the problem with it?" He asked before Mikasa looked at his eyes. The both of them remained quiet for a while before Mikasa suddenly spoke.

"Nothing." She said before she sighed. "I'll just go and get Eren some food." She said and left Levi alone.

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"Oy, what are you thinking about?" A voice suddenly said that caused Armin to sit up on the grass and looked for the person who spoke.

"Jean." He said. "Ah, nothing. It's just about Annie and Eren." He continued as he smiled before he rested himself back at the grass and looked at the wide blue sky. It's been a mobth since Annie and Eren were back inside the walls.

"What about them? Do you think they are telling the truth?" Jean asked as he sat beside Armin.

"Maybe. But even if that's the case, we all know that we need to get prepared for everything." He answered. "Even if Annie's lying or telling the truth."

"So, Eren's really back." Jean said when he noticed the dead air.

"Yeah." Armin said as he continued to stare at the blank sky.

"And he seems so attached to Annie now." Jean said as he hesitantly chuckled because of what he said before took a glimpse of Armin.

"You're right." Armin said, as Jean felt some familiar feeling with how Armin said those words.

"You liked her, didn't you?" Jean said while looking at Armin before he placed both of his hands on the ground to support his back as he faved up towards the blue sky and looked at it.

"So as you with Mikasa. Right?" Armin said as he faced Jean and looked at him but Jean's gaze towards the sky was motionless.

"Does that mean we're on the same boat?" Jean asked before he looked at Armin. Armin laughed as he sat up.

"I guess we are, if you already gave up with Mikasa which I think is a yes." Armin said as he placed both of his arms on his bent knees that were in front of him.

Jean's face flushed as he looked down on the ground and imitated Armin's way of sitting. "Well, it's too obvious that Captain Levi and Mikasa has something between them. You know."

Armin sighed as he pat Jean's back. "Well, I liked Annie and that was long ago. She was a good friend." He said before he pulled his right arm back.

"So you moved on already?" Jean said before he looked at Armin.

"Come on Jean! Who wouldn't move on after all those years? And plus, my feelings weren't that deep." Armin said and smiled, but Jean sensed something else that he chose to ignore because he felt that Armin did not want to tell it to him.

"I'm just sad that things had changed now. It changed big time!" He said as if he was so amused of what he was saying before he sighed, deeply.

Jean stared at armin for a while, before he sighed and looked at the ground, before he looked up to the sky once again and spoke.

"You're right."

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Behind the door after four months of continuous planning about the possible things to occur, they managed to trust Annie and Eren after all those times.

The heads of each squad was on a round table, having a meeting to which personels would be fighting on the battlefield.

Annie estimated that the titans would attack the walls earlier than what they originally planned to and as the rest were debating on which soldiers should not be fighting on the battlefield.

"The Deviant titan is strong. Much stronger for he could order the other titans." Annie said as she was sitting beside Eren. Everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to discuss more things. "He is the brain of all those titans who lost their conciousness."

"But that doesn't mean he can't be beaten right?" Eren said with his usually angry tone. Annie looked at him and nodded.

"He can be beaten." Annie said as a fact, or more like she was convincing herself that it was. She really did not know the real power of that Deviant Titan.

"Are you sure?" Eren said with his wide eyes, full of hope, but Levi, Erwin and the others noticed the unfirm words that escaped from Annie's mouth.

"He can be, with Captain Levi and Mikasa, and with your new abilities. We can." Annie stated, as Eren's fiery eyes looked so down when he heard Mikasa's name.

"We're sorry but..." Eren said as Commander Erwin stopped him from saying things. Annie and Mikasa wondered about Eren's change of expression and with his words, but they were more surprised with what they have heard. The words that escaped from the Commander's lips.

"Mikasa, you are forbidden to fight in the battle. You'll be guarding the walls with the rest of the garrison."

Mikasa stood up from her seat, she was about to complain when Erwin spoke again that cut her off.

"With Annie." He added. Mikasa looked at Annie as Annie's eyes grew big.

"But sir! I am very much needed in the battlefield!" Annie protested as she stood up like what Mikasa did.

"I, too, sir. I can help in killing the titans. And it is my duty sir to do it, as a soldier of the scouting legion and as a member of the special operation squad." Mikasa calmly said, trying to control herself not to shout.

"Mikasa, Annie, I understand that the both of you are in great help in the battle. I, too, understand that you two are both excellent soldiers. But the garrison needs your assistance too. The people inside the walls needs the two of you." Erwin said before he looked at Eren and Levi who was sitting at his left.

"But sir!" Mikasa tried to protest again when Levi spoke.

"Enough Mikasa! Those are the final orders, and as an excellent soldier of the scouting legion, you should know that you should follow the commander's orders." Levi said, making Mikasa look at her with disbelief in her eyes.

"Levi... Captain, I can't leave you guys there! Especially now that Commander Erwin won't be fighting!" She said as she looked at Levi's eyes, but Levi only looked away. "Commander Erwin! Please! This is a very dangerous battle, we can't just-"

"You said it, this is a dangerous battle. We can't just let all of our best soldiers fight in the battlefield." Erwin said, that made Mikasa's brows furrow in confusion.

"But you said the ones that will fight will be those who volunteered! I and Annie volunteered in this battle! Why can't we fight?!" Mikasa asked but no one answered.

She looked at Hanji, who was sitting right next to Erwin, trying to tell her through her eyes to convince Erwin to allow her to fight, but she only shook her head that made Mikasa closed her eyes before she looked at Levi.

Levi was avoiding her eyes that made her look at Annie, who was standing still while looking at Eren blankly. Mikasa knew that Annie was feeling the same as her. She knew that Annie, too, wanted to fight.

"Eren..." Mikasa called, for she noticed that Eren was avoiding Annie's gaze as well. Eren looked at her before he opened her mouth and started to speak.

"The decision's final, Mikasa. You, Annie and Sasha will stay with the garrison. The rest of us will fight." Eren said, calmly, which made Mikasa and Annie knew that there was something off about the situation.

"Wh-what's-" Mikasa was about to say something when Erwin cut her words.

"Dismissed." Erwin said before he stood up and left the room. Hanji soon followed as well as the other members of the scouting legion that ws present in the meeting, excluding Levi, Mikasa, Eren and Annie.

The four of them was left in the room. The two women standing, while the two men were sitting on their seat. Everyone was quiet, no one tried to speak, not until Annie released words from her mouth.

"Eren, what's the meaning of this?" Annie asked as she glared at him. Speaking so suddenly that caught Mikasa and Levi's attention. Eren did not respond that made Annie more furious. "Look at me Eren."

With that, Eren looked at her with his blank eyes. For the first time ever since he existed in the world did that happen.

"Why won't you let me fight?" Annie asked, but Eren just looked at her without any emotions. "Why won't you let us fight?!"

"Annie..." Mikasa called as she walked beside her and tried to place her right hand onto Annie's left shoulder but Annie suddenly brushed off her hand that made the two men surprised.

Annie faced Mikasa with her furious eyes before she asked her. "Mikasa, you're feeling the same thing too right?"

Mikasa could not agree more, she wanted to fight with him. She wanted to be sure that he would survive - they would survive. Together.

"Of course." Mikasa answered before Annie slammed the table in front of her. Making all of the people with her inside the room startled.

"Why don't you let us fight! We will fight with the both of you!" Annie said with her angry, yet, begging eyes that made Eren looked away from her.

"Eren, please!" Annie pleaded. Mikasa on the other hand looked at Levi with her puzzled eyes. Confused on why would they make them stay inside the walls.

"Levi..." Mikasa called that made Levi released his famous tch.

"If this is about our safety then drop this." Mikasa said, looking at the both of them.

"The enemy's strong Mikasa. I won't let you." Levi answered with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"We could do this if all of us will work together." Mikasa said. "Having one titan shifter and the strongest soldier of humanity isn't enough Levi."

"Cut the crap. Let's not talk about this." Levi said before he stood up and walked towards the door. Leaving the three people inside. Mikasa's brows furrowed in anger that made her walk towards Levi ad grabbed his left arm.

"Levi... I want to fight!" Mikasa said, looking directly onto his eyes, but his eyes were freezing like ice as her eyes were burning like fire.

Levi shoved Mikasa's hand away from his arm and turned his back to her. "Let's talk about this some other time. I still have to do something." He said before he continued to walk towards the hallway.

"Why- Why are you being so cold now Levi?" Mikasa asked that made Levi stop from walking. Eren and Annie were watching the two from their place, when suddenly, Levi walked again without even facing Mikasa and answering hey question.

"Levi!" She called, but he did not look back, that broke Mikasa's heart into pieces.

Later that night, Mikasa walked towards where Levi's room was. It was not new to them though. The soldiers on guard were already used to it, but they were not used to see Mikasa, one of the two soldiers they highly respected, walking on a rush towards the Captain's room.

Mikasa immediately opened the door and closed it as soon as she entered. Seeing Levi sitting on his bed while staring at the blank air made her feel worried, but nonetheless, she still argued and spoke to tell him what she wanted to tell him in the first place.

"Levi, you can't fight alone!" Mikasa exclaimed as Levi was startled, before he stood up and started to remove his survey corps uniform before he put it on his bed.

"Mikasa, this is for you." Levi answered, not facing her as he continued to change his clothes.

"It's too dangerous! I'll fight with you!" Mikasa said, as she walked towards Levi. She was about to hug him from his back when Levi suddenly faced her as he raised his voice that startle Mikasa. It was the first time for him to do it to her.

"Mikasa, can't you understand?! The abnormal titan who talks and controls the other titans will be there! It's too dangerous for you! He was the one who killed Mike! He is the second strongest for goodness sake Mikasa! I can't risk you!" He exclaimed. Frustration was visible on his face, as Mikasa's fiery eyes softened while tears started to build up as well. Mikasa's right hand started to find its way to Levi's left cheek as her left hand was placed on his right shoulder.

"So you think I can?" She said softly, that gave off Levi the tingling feeling on each of the billions of nerves around his body as his eyes automatically gave of the worried and stressed out look.

"Mi-Mikasa I-" He tried to find an excuse as he looked away from Mikasa's eyes.

"You think that I can risk you?" Mikasa cut him off as tears fell from her eyes. She placed her forehead onto his as she continued to cry.

"Mikasa, I know you'll understand." He said. "This is a matter of life and death. I don't want you to lose your life. We are not sure if we could even win this war." He softly said as his hands travelled to Mikasa's cheeks, wiping her tears away.

"Levi, let's fight together." She whispered, that broke Levi's guard down but managed to fix it up in an instant. Even though he did not want to, he had to.

"No, Mikasa. I won't let you. You still have a greater life waiting ahead of you. I don't want to steal those from you by letting you fight with me." He said.

"That life would be useless if you're not there! Levi, please!" Mikasa exclaimed as her head slided down towards Levi's right shoulder as her arms embraced his whole. "I'd rather die with you." She whispered, that made Levi's tears escape from his eyes. He was holding it for too long.

"Mikasa..." He said as he embraced her as well, but Mikasa escaped from the hug and did something that Levi was not expecting.

Levi closed his eyes as each of his nerve felt everything of her. Her lips, her touch, her skin that was overlapping onto his.

Levi's hand travelled to Mikasa's face once again, as he returned the warm and gentle kiss that she was giving him.

Mikasa's hands travelled to the middle of Levi's long sleeved polo amd started to continue what Levi was doing right after she entered his place. She was unbuttoning his shirt when Levi suddenly pulled himself from the kiss and looked at Mikasa's eyes. Mikasa stopped from what she was doing and looked back at Levi.

"You sure?" He asked, but Mikasa did not respond. Instead, she kissed him once again and continued what she was doing before Levi distracted her.

They have never done it before, for Levi respected her as a woman and he actually really did not know what to do completely. He was not an expert when it comes to those things. He was not an expert when it comes to love, romance. In fact, he accepts that he was clumsy when it comes to handling those things.

Levi did the same thing Mikasa. His hand slowly traveled onto the belts of her upper body and removed it from her before he pulled himself away and lifted her up with his muscular arms and laid her down to his bed, before he continued his work.

He did not know how to do it expertly, but he knew to himself that he was more than satisfied with what they have, with what they were and with what they would be.

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Note: Should I continue the BS in the next chapter? I'm really not good in writing it so... hehe

SORRY GUYS. I GOT BUSY WITH COLLEGE. But I gotta admit that I got lazy as well and I deleted wattpad on my phone for a while. SORRY. T_T

And sorry for the typos in this chapter, I didn't edit this yet. I'll try editing this tomorrow. hehe