They watch.

Silently from above, they hover, looking down at those below.

Those they left behind.

Those they wish to see again.

Among them, a select few are quiet, morose. They stare sadly down at the world below them, eyes filled with pain.

They watch him. Him, with his shaking fingers as he delicately holds the pictures.

They are hand-drawn, capturing every detail of the faces perfectly. He drew them from memory, since they themselves are long gone.

He covers his eyes with one hand, drowning in regrets, the "I should haves", and the "If only I could haves."

Because no matter how many times he says he won't regret, he does.

Why? Why hadn't he made it in time when Isabel was crushed? And Farlan, Farlan was still alive, but he'd been slow to react.

Why didn't he stay with Petra and Oluo and Gunther and Erd? Why? He could have saved them, if only he'd been there.

He could have seen their faces right now, their real faces, rather than these paper substitutions.

And yet, deep down, he knows this is a lie.

There was nothing he could have done.

They know this too, the ones watching from above. And so it pains them to see the one they love in such agony.

The girl with the emerald eyes and the red, red hair reaches out with her hand, as if to comfort him, but he cannot see them, cannot feel them.

Her hand drops limply to her side again.

And they watch as the man before them hides his emotions once again, setting the drawings back down on his desk and briskly standing up.

He marches back outside, his face a mask, and they hear him yelling, "Jaeger! What do you and Artlert think you're doing!? No slacking off, get back to work, you lazy brats!"

Petra stifles a giggle, Farlan rolls his eyes, and Erd smiles down at his captain.

"He never changes," Isabel scoffs. "Still the same as the day I met him."

Petra smiles. "He'll grow out of it. Someday."

"Well," Isabel states. "He won't be allowed up here with us if he doesn't change his attitude."

"Isabel!" Farlan reprimands. "Levi will make it here."

"Nuh-uh, not if he still acts the way he does right now. Besides, he'd get along perfectly with the demons down there." Isabel grinned wickedly.

"Isabel!" Petra holds a hand to her forehead. "Don't."

Isabel shrugs, looking a bit guilty. "Sorry, Petra."

Petra sighs and looks back down at her captain, who is currently chewing out Eren and Armin. Mikasa stands at the side, rolling her eyes.

"I wanted to be with him, you know," Petra says softly. "I really did. But I guess it would have never worked out. No one lives long enough in that world."

Farlan runs a hand through his hair. "I know that the place we're in now is supposed to be peaceful, with no worries. But I can't help but think everyday about when Levi's time will come. He needs to be there right now, to help humanity."

They stand in silence for a bit longer, until Gunter finally speaks. "I think we should go now."

With a sigh and a pang in their hearts, each drifts off to their own respective places.

All except Petra. She lingers behind, staring morosely at her beloved's face. She could watch him forever and be content...

"Levi!" Petra jerks her head to the side to see Commander Erwin approaching her captain. She listens closely.

"This news is rather short notice, but we'll be gong on an expedition in two days. Tell everyone to prepare. Then meet me in my office so we can discuss the details." With that, Erwin walks away.

Petra bites her lip. She knows her captain is extremely experienced, and yet she can't help but worry. Will he be safe?

So she decides she'll go along.

Though if the others find out, they'll surely try to stop her.

"Petra."

It's Erd. He stares down at her sternly.

Petra laughs weakly. "Ah, Erd! I didn't know you were still here!"

Erd isn't smiling. "Petra, I know what you're thinking. Stay out of it. You realize what the consequences will be if you interfere."

Petra rolls her eyes. "Obviously, Erd. I'm not that stupid. I'm not planning anything, I'm just worried about him."

*
*
*
*

Two nights later, she silently slips away.

***********************************

Petra knows she's not supposed to be here.

And yet she is, soaring above her captain as he rides fast and hard on his horse.

He can't see her. No one can. But that doesn't matter. She can see him, and so she will watch over him like his guardian angel, she thinks to herself.

No matter what consequences she may face.

They haven't had a single titan sighting yet, though they've been riding for twenty minutes. Petra can't help but feel a strange sense of premonition.

She's watching her captain when the first flare goes off. It's a normal titan, not a deviant, and the first few soldiers take it down easily. Levi doesn't even have to move.

Five minutes later, another one appears. But this one is different. It lumbers towards the supply wagons, a vicious sneer on its face.

This time, Levi flies into action. He attacks the huge monster, cutting through its nape in a matter of seconds. The beast doesn't stand a chance.

At that moment, three titans appear from the trees. Erwin is shouting orders when two more come charging in. These two are deviants, and they head straight for Levi.

Petra holds her breath, but keeps from making any rash decisions. Her captain can handle himself.

Another soldier swings in, yelling to Levi that he can get one of them. Levi nods and focuses on the second titan.

The first soldier cuts into the titan's neck and it goes down. Levi finishes his off soon after. He lands on the floor, rushing to get back to his horse when the screams begin.

Petra and Levi both turn to see the titan that the first soldier fought grabbing a young soldier.

It turns out the titan hadn't been killed after all--the man had aimed too high and missed the nape.

It all happens so fast. The titan finishes off the young girl and reaches for Levi with lightning speed.

Levi, on flat ground, his momentum shot and with no place to use his gear, is trapped.

He clicks his gas and runs, trying to propel himself forward, but anyone can see it's too late.

Unless.

Unless she does it.

Petra makes her decision. She swoops down, using everything in her power to push that hand away. She has no weapon, but death has given her a much more powerful tool.

Using pure will, she focuses all her energy on deflecting the titan's arm. And it works.

It works.

But although the titan's movement is slowed down enough for Levi to move out of the way, it still collides with Petra.

Her ghostly body, although beyond physical pain, can not escape the fate of the titan once again. She is thrown against a tree, her back snapped to an impossible position, her mouth open in one last silent scream.

A scream that no one hears.

And as the world starts to go black for her, she closes her eyes, content.

For although anyone who 'dies' once but is already dead cannot return to heaven, and is thrown into an eternal turmoil, at least her captain is safe.

Her captain...

***********************************

When Petra goes missing, they know what has happened but none of them say it. None of them need to.

***********************************

Levi sits on his bed in his room, staring down at his hands.

He knows something was wrong on that last expedition, but he can't quite put a finger on it.

That titan's hand though...it had seemed to travel in slow motion. He should have been flattened by it.

But he wasn't.

And he isn't sure, because when he asked Erwin, he denied hearing anything, but Levi thinks he heard something.

He heard the sound that haunts his nightmares every night.

End.