"Come here, Amaya," El said through a laugh.

Yes, he was smiling, and yes, he was in a good mood, and yes, I wanted to run to him, but what the silly man didn't realize was that it was what was in his hand that was why I did not want to go to him. Specifically, he was holding my coat. I danced away from him again when he attempted to grab me once more and I dashed my way into the kitchen with a giggle.

"Amaya," he said, rather exasperatedly now. "Come here, please! Don't you wanna go take a walk? You seemed so excited a minute ago."

"I do," I answered, crawling underneath the table. "And I am! I am excited to take a walk!"

"Then why won't you come here? You can't take a walk under the table, look at you!"

"Because I don't wanna wear my coat," I huffed, plopping my butt on the floor and crossing my arms. El came into the kitchen and crouched down, looking at me with a smile between the legs of the table and chairs.

"If we're going outside," he said slowly, "you need the coat. That's the rule."

"It's a stupid rule," I insisted, "and I don't like it."

El frowned and, still set in a crouch, he set his elbow to his thigh and rested his chin in his palm. "Amaya, what have I said about using that word?"

"It's not nice," I recalled, remembering about a dozen times that those exact words had left his lips.

"That's right," he told me. "It's not a stupid rule, because it's meant to keep you healthy. It can get chilly down here, and you know that. Beside... you almost hurt my feelings." He put a hand on his heart and lowered himself now to sit on the floor with crossed legs. I watched him with wide eyes, suddenly incredibly upset. I made El sad? I... did that?

"It makes me even sadder thinking that I might have to go without you," he continued. My mouth dropped open in shock and my tongue suddenly felt dry. "I mean, if you don't put your coat on, you can't go outside. And then you can't go see Uncle Reyes with me. And then he'll be sad, too!"

Well, that I could handle. But El...

He dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders slumped and I felt the urge to go to him, and so that's exactly what I did. I crawled out from under the table, stood, then tapped him on the shoulder. "El," I said quietly, frowning. He lifted his head slightly, just enough so I could see his eyes. "Are you sad?" He nodded and I felt my bottom lip quiver and tears well up in my eyes. I couldn't believe it - I had made him sad!

It was then that I remembered what my grandmother had told me so long ago about boys. They couldn't really take care of themselves. When telling me about how my parents fell in love, she told me that boys were confusing. Like, really confusing. She had said that I'd know it was love if I wanted to do whatever I could to keep someone - even an icky boy - happy.

I tugged on El's sleeve. "How can I make you happy?"

"If you put this coat on," he said, lifting it so I could see, "then I'll be happy again, because then I won't need to go without you and leave you all alone here at home."

Well, if ever my young mind had heard reasonable terms, these were the best.

"Ok," I chimed, reaching for it with a grin. He smiled then, and helped me put it on. He buttoned it up for me and I smiled up at him as he did. "Are you happy now?"

"I am," he said, lifting one of his hands to my face. He gently ran his thumb under one of my eyes, and though the feeling was strange, I realized he was trying to dry the tears that formed and I trusted him to do it.

"There now," he said warmly once all my tears were gone. "There's my pretty girl. Now then!" He stood, and I stepped back to offer him some room to do it. He presented me with a brilliant smile, one that made the edges of his eyes crinkle. "Thank you very much for putting your coat on for me, Maya! Now we can go for that walk!"

Now that he was happy, and now that I was happy, he took my hand and led me to the door. He opened it for me and I hopped outside onto the front stoop. He followed closely, shutting and locking the door behind us.

"Off to see Uncle Reyes, then," he said, leading me towards the road. "Remember the way?"

"Sure do!"

My smile didn't leave my face as we walked, and because his strides were longer than mine, he had to walk slower so I didn't have to rush but I decided to skip, laughing a little when El looked down at me. He swung our hands back and forth and put his other hand in his pocket as we progressed down the road. Overcome now with happiness, and with my grandmother's words repeating in my head, I couldn't help but outright beam up at him.

"I love you, El!"

"I love you too, Maya," El said genuinely, looking down at me with a warm smile.

"...Does this mean we're in love?"

El laughed openly, shaking his head in response. "That's not quite what that means. Where did you hear about that?"

"My gramma told me about it," I explained. "She told me how my parents fell in love."

"Oh, I see," El said slowly, considering it. "Well, it's true, we do love each other, Maya. But what she told you about isn't the same."

"She told me that if I find a boy I want to keep happy, then I'm in love," I protested.

"That's true," he considered. "So, does that mean you want to keep me happy?"

"Mm-hm!"

"Oh," he said, pausing in his step for a moment. He seemed to think over my words, and then the biggest smile appeared on his face and - oh, were those tears? Did I make him sad again? Oh no, I couldn't believe it-

"You make me so incredibly happy, Maya," he said, cutting off my thoughts as he assured me as such, and so my smile returned and for the moment, I was content with the fact that I hadn't made him sad again and so soon.

"You too, El!"

"But falling in love like your parents did is a little bit different," he explained. "When you're older – much older, like maybe fifty – you'll meet someone that makes you so incredibly happy, it hurts to be away from them. They'll make you laugh so hard you cry, make you feel beautiful and smart and wanted and a million other things, all at once. It's a wonderful thing, Maya, to be in love. I hope you experience it someday."

"I don't get it," I said. "You tell me I'm pretty, and you say I'm so smart, so why is it different?"

"It just is," he said, and I huffed impatiently. "Trust me, I don't really get it, either," El said with a laugh. "But you won't experience it for a long, long time, because people don't fall in love until they know who they are."

I opened my mouth to protest, because I did know who I was, because I was Amaya!

"It's like... you forget about making yourself happy, because when they're happy, you are," El continued. "You find yourself wanting to make yourself better because... you won't feel like you deserve them."

I could hear something strange in his voice, and so I looked up - only to see that El looked sad again.

"El!" I said, yanking him from his thoughts and forcing them to center on me. When his eyes were focused on me, I spoke as sternly as I could: "Stop being sad, please!"

"Ok, ok," he conceded. "I will. No more being sad today."

"No more being sad forever," I corrected him. "Oh, I know! Make it a rule! If you do, we can't be sad ever again."

"I guess you're right," El said. "Ok. From here on out, no more being sad."

"Oh!" I said, suddenly remembering another part of my grandma's story. "Whoever I love, if it's a boy, does he have to be icky?"

El suddenly laughed. "What do you mean?"

"Grammy told me that all boys are icky," I explained.

"All boys?" He asked, gasping and pressing his free hand to his heart, and I couldn't help but giggle. "Amaya, I'm hurt."

I went to reply, but then I looked up and saw that we were already at our destination. Uncle Reyes was standing outside on his front step and waved to me when he saw us. "Uncle Reyes!"

El let go of my hand and he laughed as I ran up the pathway to jump into Reyes' arms. "Goddesses watch over whoever you fall in love with. They'll need it."

—

Levi and I were outside, tending to the horses and talking quietly when we heard the sounds of approaching charges. All of us were here, the kids and us, so as far as speculating who could possibly be coming, there were more terrifying prospects than there were ones that I would feel happy to welcome in; and of those terrifying prospects, those were in greater numbers, too.

Of who could be coming... Hange, maybe? Definitely not Erwin, not with the government breathing down his back. They wouldn't let him go so soon, not really - though maybe they'd let him go so they could tail him to us? No, Erwin was too smart to let that happen. Oh, but there was also the possibility that we'd been found, and that the Military Police, sent by the royal government, had somehow tracked us down and found us here.

And that was one of the terrifying prospects, yet one that we had to consider seriously for how likely it was.

I glanced at Levi apprehensively, weighing our options in my mind. Do we risk staying out here, or run inside? Levi met my eyes, then headed towards the front of the yard. I followed, stalling only to crouch and reach towards my boot. My fingers curled around my knife's handle and by then, Levi reached the fence lining the yard.

He seemed to visibly relax, glancing back at me to gesture me over. Knowing he wasn't one to let his guard down so easily, I figured it was nothing bad, and so I went to his side so I could see who was riding up myself. I eagerly placed my hands on the fence, grinning upon seeing that it was Hange and several of their soldiers.

"Hange," I called happily. Hange's eyes met my own; even still several paces out, I could see that. But they didn't return my smile, and my smile faded seeing such a serious, somber countenance on their usually carefree face. I looked at Levi hesitantly - judging by the look in his eyes, he noticed too. "Bad news, I suppose."

"Just a matter of how bad," Levi provided, watching Hange's approach as I did. He didn't wait there long; rather, Levi put out an order for everyone to gather in the house, even those on lookout, but I hesitated to follow him back into the house just yet. I waited as Hange rode into the yard, dismounting even while their horse was still slowing to a stop.

We did not speak as I took the horse's reins in hand and hitched it beside our own, but we did lock eyes, and from the look alone, I could see a certain level of graveness in their gaze. So yes, it was bad news, and yes, it was just a matter of how bad. We didn't need to say anything now, we needed only to head inside together, and so we did.

And once everyone was gathered around the table, Hange began relaying the news they came to share, and I had been right: it wasn't good. It was very much the opposite, actually. Hange had mumbled it quietly at first, but because I was next to them, I had heard it clearly.

"Huh?" Levi asked, not having heard it - or perhaps not having comprehended it. "What was that?"

"He's dead," Hange said once more. "Pastor Nick. He was murdered. This morning, in the Trost District barracks."

Hange went on to explain what they had seen this morning, and I continued listening but headed to the kitchen to make some tea with what little we had left. After such troubling news, I couldn't just sit around, I had to do something to occupy my time and give me something better to think about even while I continued to listen in.

Nick, the poor man, had been tortured, and then killed. As infuriating as he was, he didn't deserve that. No one did. And the Military Policemen in charge of handling the case apparently claimed it was a murder-robbery. Please. Did they think we were that dense to believe that? Even if they thought we were, did they expect Hange to? I suppose if they didn't know Hange, it checked out. Hange was something of our little secret, our genius who we could count on.

But of course, this was troubling news. Finally, we find someone to help us, to help reveal the truth of the walls, of Titans, and our history, at long last - and he was murdered. Oh, but it was unrelated? Ah, yes. Of course it was.

Goodness, who was foolish enough to believe that nonsense?

Silence by then started to stretch on and on, and no one seemed able to say anything, or perhaps no one wanted to. What could one say after getting news like that? I took the burden upon myself, letting it settle on my shoulders as I figured out something - anything - to say, and what I decided upon was simple.

"Let's sit," I said, gesturing to the table. "I'm assuming we have a lot to discuss."

At my words, everyone settled around the table and due to a lack of space, Hange and their subordinates settled in the corner where the small couches and seats were set up in the living area. I remained standing as I poured tea for Levi, then made my way around the table to do the same for everyone else.

"I figured the church would want to deal with Nick since he was cooperating with the scouts," Hange said once everyone seemed to settle in. Instead of sitting down just yet, I remained standing yet leaned back against the counter rather comfortably and took a sip of my tea. "That's why I hid his identity and had him stay in the barracks, but... to think they would use soldiers to kill him... I was too careless. It's entirely my fault."

"Don't say that," I said to them. "We're supposed to be able to trust our comrades, across regiments or not. This goes beyond your foolishness or my own, and you know that."

"The Military Police," Armin began, "did they torture Pastor Nick just to find out what information he spilled to us?"

"Most likely," Levi answered, setting his cup down. "But it was the Interior Military Police, which means there's something more behind it. So," he said, turning to Hange, "how many nails did Nick have ripped off?"

"Huh?"

Oh. That's a good point. To think, I hadn't even considered...

"You saw, right? How many?"

It was a good question to ask. We hadn't done it much while underground, but in some cases, the only way to get someone to talk was to... Well. We'd never needed to resort to it much, and if ever we did, Levi didn't usually make me do it, nor anyone other than him. I wasn't foolish enough to believe it was because he liked to, no - he just didn't want us to have to, to leave that blemish on our souls, that continued burden to weigh on our hearts. But I had, once. I had tortured a man.

It wasn't a pleasant memory.

It'd been repeated, too. Oh, yes. I'd done it more than once, out of necessity. The first was for a job, the second because Farlan had been accosted and with no other options, we had to capture someone related to the incident to find what he knew.

I hated how despite my remorse for my actions, my sympathy for the man I'd captured, that I'd still done it all the same.

That was a terrible blemish on my soul, even now - a permanently stained mark on what so many said to be made of gold. If only they knew how easily stained it was.

"I only caught a glimpse of him," Hange responded hesitantly, "but all the nails that I could see."

"People that talk, talk after one." Levi said simply, and it was true. "If they don't, peeling more won't make a difference."

"It's a nasty pain," I explained further, because thankfully only the two of us in the present company had ever tortured someone before, and the process was not public knowledge. "But it's the same pain, over and over. You wouldn't start talking after say, three nails because it suddenly became unbearable. If you were weak in your mindset, or if you didn't care about what information you had, or if you valued your life... you'd talk immediately. So, if he made it that long..."

"Pastor Nick," Levi picked up when I trailed off. "I thought he was an idiot, but... He didn't turn away from what he believed, all the way until the end. In other words, they have no idea we've caught wind of the Reiss family. Though, someone in the government is up to no good, and their eyes are fixed on us."

The door suddenly opened, and in stepped a familiar face, but it was not friendly. Rather, she looked rather perturbed, rather hurried, and hidden within her eyes was panic, veiled and hidden expertly. "Captains Levi, Amaya," Nifa said, crossing the room quickly. "A message from Commander Erwin." Nifa handed it to Levi, and I pushed away from the counter to stand at his side and read it over his shoulder. "I went to tell him about Pastor Nick, but he sent me off with this."

It wasn't the best letter to receive.

In essence, they were onto us, they being this interior squad of specialized military police, just as Erwin feared. They had already been onto Erwin, and now it seemed they were searching the countryside for us. With how far into the hills we were, on a scarcely-used road winding into the foothills of the nearby mountain range, there was no way they'd have known where we were, unless they'd had people hidden in the mountains to see us, always scouting and always searching.

Hell, we'd hidden ourselves so well, or at least I thought so, but there was only so much we could do about the experiments. Whenever Eren transformed, that damn lightning and smoke were like banners asking everyone to look at us, and his transformations were loud. It wasn't his fault, but if they'd had people in the mountains on lookout, it'd be a simple matter of seeing it and finding us here, or narrowing our hideout to a certain range near the scene of the experiments.

Oh, and along with that, there was a freeze on all Scout Regiment activity, and we - the commanding officers - were to report to the capital once more, just like before, but this time, with Eren and Historia.

It was a distressing note, to say the least.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath at the message and noting the minute, easy-to-miss way Levi's shoulders seemed to stiffen as he finished reading as well. "We gotta go."

"Everyone, out," Levi ordered sternly. "We leave now. Leave no trace we were here."

"That includes all personal effects," I reminded them, standing up straight. "That means your gear, trinkets, everything - you get it."

Everyone got up from their seats and rushed into the bedrooms and I did what I could to make this place seem unoccupied. I closed the curtains, pushed the chairs in, even set cutlery and dishes - unwashed and otherwise - away, hiding them from view. Though it'd irk Levi to know dirty plates were in with clean ones, we needed this place to look like no one had inhabited it and that meant everything needed to be put away.

And hell, grime on a plate in the cupboard might work to our favor. Who would put dirty dishes away? Someone without a home, someone who didn't care, maybe a rat that decided it was a good place as any to have a meal - all of which would work to throw the scent off our trail.

All traces of anyone having lived here were hidden. Fresh flowers one of the kids had brought in were tossed out a window, a puddle where someone had spilled some water earlier and the wooden floor darkened with moisture was covered with a rug. All windows were closed, all traces of life tucked away.

"Let's all be grateful you all don't know how to dust," I said dryly to no one in particular, heading now into the bedroom Levi and I had occupied and grabbed our overcoats, rifles, and packs, then checked over the space as the kids rushed around as I put my gear on. Thankfully this morning I had the foresight to wear casual slacks instead of the skirt I'd taken to wearing while here, so putting the gear on was easy. When my gear was secure, I stepped back into the main room, handing Levi his coat, pack, and rifle as I headed outside behind him.

"Hurry your asses up," Levi ordered. As I walked, I threw my coat on, slinging my rifle over my shoulder and securing my pack on my back. The hardest part about this was that for the kids, anyway, all their horses were at the main base, in the stables, receiving the utmost care. But my own, and Levi's as well... they were here. But they could not remain here.

The main herd of scouts' horses, and damn near every working horse in the country, were brown. Levi's dark mare was a sure sign of a commanding officer anyway, and my own buckskin had come right from the MP's - assuming that the story the horse-master at the base told me when I first met Strider was true, and that he'd been bred for a high-ranking member of the MP brass only for the steed to hate his guts, and so he'd been sent to the scouts to be rushed to an early death.

So the horses were a dead giveaway at any rate, but I did not relish in having to release them - but I did. I unhitched them, but like the good steeds they were, did not rush off. No, they needed a good shout and a whack to the flank for them to each get going.

I watched them go, sighing because while they were good horses and I didn't want them to be lost to the wilds, they were good horses and I didn't want them captured or killed by the MP's. But while Hange and their squad had their own horses, wherever they went after this, leading two rider-less horses would slow them down too much, and what we needed now was haste. It was the best call for now, though I lamented not having more choices.

Once everyone was outside and their gear was on, plain cloaks and coats secured over them to obscure them, I did a quick headcount and with a nod to Levi, we were off, heading into the woods. We worked our way up a scarcely used trail and walked for what felt like hours but was likely only a few tense minutes. Goddesses, my nerves were just getting to me. Partway up the trail there was a small cliff that overlooked the property we had just vacated, and we paused in our hike to catch our breath and watch as soldiers already swarmed the joint.

"That was close," Connie said. "If we hadn't left right then, what would've happened to us?"

"We'd be halfway on our way to a nice meeting with the king and our doom," I said to him.

"But why?" Armin asked. "What would make Commander Erwin...?"

"New orders came from the government," Levi answered. "There's been a freeze on all Scout Regiment activity outside the wall. They're telling us to hand over Eren and Historia."

"By the way," Nifa said, "right after he gave me the message, the Military Police came for him."

"That's treating him like some sort of criminal," Hange exclaimed.

"Denying their orders for so long, justified or not," I said slowly, "I suppose that he is."

"Someone's not working from the shadows anymore," Levi said. "They're moving for all eyes to see."

"To go that far to protect the wall's secrets..." Hange cut their own words off and huffed. "What's more, why do they want us to hand over Eren and Historia? Not to kill, but for them to obtain?"

"Who knows," Levi mused, but it was obvious that the why was not important to him. Nor should it have been; right now, we only needed to worry about our own safety. Speculation and answers could come later. "Anyways, it's clear the enemy is after these two. Loitering around here is dangerous. We're moving her and Eren to Trost District."

That caught Hange's squad by surprise.

"Why?" Moblit asked. "That's the same place Pastor Nick was killed."

"It's worse to head towards the interior," Levi answered easily. "With Trost in a panic, it should be easy to slip in. And if somehow it comes down to it, we can use these in the city." He opened his coat to reveal the gear.

This was bad, it was. Levi and I were more than used to fighting in cities. What with our time doing expeditions within Wall Maria to purge the Titans within it, we had all our time in the Underground City, fighting through alleys and swinging through streets and the like. These kids had, what? Their fight in Trost? That was as far as their experience went, unfortunately.

"True," Armin said, considering Levi's words, but it was obvious he was nervous - understandably so. And hell, so was I. How was I to protect them all if we found trouble in the city? How could Levi and I possibly...

Skilled or not, these were young teens. Experienced or not, fighting people was not the same as fighting Titans.

"Plus, not knowing the enemy puts us in a tough spot," Levi continued. "We need to find out who's behind this."

"Let's wrap this up," I said, glancing back down at the house. They were still searching, but it'd only be a matter of time now. "They're gonna get bored of searching through an empty house eventually."

"Hange," Levi said, "lend me some of your squad."

"Of course," Hange replied. Then, decidedly, they nodded and said: "All right, I'm going after Erwin. Moblit's with me. The rest of you will follow Levi."

"Roger," they replied.

As Hange went to mount their horse, Eren called out to them. "Here," he said, handing Hange a slip of paper as they stepped away from their mount. "I remembered a conversation between Ymir and Bertholdt. Didn't get time to tell you, but it's here."

"All right," Hange said, accepting it. "I'll take a look at it later."

Hange mounted their horse, and I approached my best friend, now. "Be safe," I said to them as they got comfortable in the saddle.

"Same to you," Hange replied. "Don't worry, I'll send someone to retrieve your horses. I'll need to send someone to retrieve these ones anyway," Hange said, referring to those that their own subordinates were leaving behind now that they were staying with us. "They can't have gone far."

"Thank you," I said to them, bowing my head slightly in appreciation. Hange smiled at me, shrugging a little.

"I can't exactly leave the newly-betrothed couple without their horses, now can I? How could they possibly get away for a honeymoon, then? Or even to elope?"

At that, I couldn't help but let my surprise show on my face. Hange must've seen the shock on my face, there was no way not to, but I was struck by how observant they were; I mean, sure, we were both wearing our rings, but I wasn't sure if Hange would notice or not. It's not like we talked about it, or if we had the leisure even to do so, not today.

Hange tutted quietly, cluing into my surprise and apparently finding it cute. "And you thought I wouldn't notice," they said. "You wound me." Then Hange turned their horse, kicking into its sides. "We'll keep in touch. Don't know when, but you'll hear from me. Good luck, all of you. Hiyah!"

Then they were gone, Moblit by their side, and we went our separate ways.

—

We set out for Trost on foot. Our odd little fellowship walked all through the night and into the early morning. We made it to Trost just as the district was waking up, and I only hoped we didn't look too suspicious, entering the city in such a large group so early.

I suppose we weren't too conspicuous, considering that the main roads were already bustling with activity as we walked through. Trost, due to its previous placement between Rose and Maria, meant it used to be a bustling hive of activity. Echoes of that were still true now, but with less revenue, the district was surely suffering. Still, despite the loss of Wall Maria and the fact that so few people wanted to go closer to the edge of humanity's reach, where Titans roamed free, it was still busy.

"Try not to walk in a cluster," Levi said in warning. "We'll stand out. Eren and Historia, just walk normal."

The kids put space between them as we walked along, browsing the wares casually and sometimes politely greeting the citizens they passed. I looped my arm with Levi's, using my other to point things out as we walked by them, hoping to come across as a happy couple simply browsing the wares to pass the time.

"Why is the royal family's flag hanging everywhere?" I heard Connie ask.

"Oh," Sasha chimed in, "today must be the anniversary of the King's coronation. Once a year, they hand out a haul of rations."

"Oh," Connie said in response. We passed by a plaza where a loud crowd was gathered, and there was a raised wooden platform where Military Policemen were calling out to the citizens with orders.

"So," I muttered, leaning close to Levi as we briefly stopped to watch, "they can hand out rations this easily, but none of it could be spared to the underground?"

"No," Levi mused. "Of course not. Criminals and invalids aren't worth that much."

"What a king," Sasha marveled, not having heard our comments. "He sure is generous!"

"He's got more than he knows what to do with," Levi said, louder now, so that they could hear it. "People are weak, especially when baited with food."

We continued walking, and despite the heaviness of the situation at hand, at the fact that even the slightest bit of attention towards us could spell our doom... I couldn't help but note how pretty of a day it was in the city.

Trost was a diverse district anyway, attracting artists and craftspeople and the like, and these shops proved that. Unfortunately, much of their money flow came from their industry and services, which were of course at an all time low, lately. But today, there were flags and banners strung up across the road from window to window. Everyone was bustling around, waving to others and yelling out greetings.

I knew better than to let my guard down, but who'd dare cause trouble on such a nice day?

Two young kids ran out in front of us suddenly. We stopped, and I warned the two of them to be careful, slapping Levi's arm lightly when he muttered under his breath about the damn brats nearly tripping us. One of the boys apologized and they both ran off again, and that's when I felt it.

For as beautiful as the day was, there was a strange feeling in the city today. As we headed further into the district, the air became more stagnant, the sounds around us more muted. Tension hung around us, weighing down on our shoulders and making it difficult to breathe easily. It seemed Levi felt it, too. He was looking around warily, but was careful to keep his face neutral.

He pulled me a bit closer to him by the arm, and it was only because of the close proximity that I was able to hear him. "Stay alert," he said quietly, and I knew the words were only for my ears.

"Way ahead of you," I replied, then glanced back over my shoulder at the kids. For the most part, they looked pretty happy, and more than a bit carefree. God, I wish I could feel that relaxed right now. They were just looking around at the sights of the city, and on a normal day, I would be happy to join them.

Further into the city we went, and... I hated to say it, but it felt less and less like we were on the surface, and more and more like we were back underground. There were dark alleyways, run-down food stalls, and people with hollowed cheeks, haunted gazes. This was the part of Trost that'd faced the worst of the Titan attacks not that long ago, when the Colossal Titan had returned.

As far as I remembered, that had been a very long day.

"Hey," a voice called out suddenly, and immediately I was tense, on high-alert - and it seemed I was right to do so. "Aren't you Levi?"

At that, Levi stopped walking, the kids stopping behind us. I peeked around Levi to see a couple of men, unable to hide the sudden flare of anger that crossed my face. A foreign feeling rose up in my chest, but I knew what it was right away: it was a fierce desire to protect him, to defend the man I loved, from whoever was so stupid as to call out to him. If they wanted to heckle him, they'd have another thing coming. And honestly, I couldn't tell if the looks in their eyes were simply curious or confrontational, and I didn't like it.

"Hm?" Levi responded simply, stepping forward slightly to shield me from them in case they were trouble, which seemed to be an ever-increasing possibility.

"It is," came another voice.

"I've seen him before, too!"

"That's Levi, humanity's strongest man!"

Well, if we weren't drawing a crowd before, we certainly were now. The people of the market started to swarm us, getting far closer than I was comfortable with. They closed in on us from all sides, and thankfully the kids had the wherewithal to get closer, so we weren't all separated. But they came so close that I was bumped by a big, burly man that reeked of fish as he pushed to try to see Levi better.

"Hey," the man muttered, seemingly unable to sense the heat of my glare on him and keeping all of his focus on Levi. "He's small."

My glare intensified. "Hey," I echoed. "Watch it-"

The man noticed me then, looking down at me with an impish sort of grin, the kind that was terribly out of place on his face. Levi was quick to take his arm from mine to push me behind him protectively, especially as the man's eyes narrowed in on me and seemed to rake across my body. I could feel his gaze, something like a physical weight traveling across my body, and I shivered uncomfortably.

"Well now," the man said slowly, "what have we here?"

"Oh," chimed in another voice. "Isn't that humanity's strongest woman?"

"But... they're both tiny," one of them exclaimed.

"Hah! I've only ever seen them on their horses!"

"You're in the way," Levi said simply, still reaching back to hold me behind him with a firm hand on my hip. The men were leaning around him to try and see me, only to be met with my glare, but that only seemed to make them smile wider.

Disgusting.

"Come on, captain," one of the men cajoled Levi. "Hear us out! We humble folk just want a word with you. We lost out on a lot of work because of that evacuation plan you soldiers made all that noise about!"

"It's not just us," another piped up indignantly. "People don't come to towns by the wall like this one anymore because of all the uncertainty. Our income's gone, and we can't eat."

Oh, I fought not to say aloud. And that's our fault, is it? We choose where people want to travel? We broke down the damned gate the first time, did we?

"The Garrison ran off somewhere," the first spoke again, "and crowds of thieves came in to take their place... but taxes are as high as ever. What are we supposed to do?" The man pressed a frustrated hand to his head, as if the topic gave him a headache when just talking about it. "Why'd things turn out like this? Why do the Titans keep attacking? I think I know why."

He lowered his hand, his eyes drifting between Levi and me. When they settled on mine, they seemed to have a hard time meeting and keeping my gaze, and he seemed to have just as hard a time doing so when he looked at Levi. The man was as stupid as anyone I'd ever met, and he kept prattling on and on, and I fought the urge to scoff.

"It's because you in the Survey Corps aren't working hard enough," the man continued. "I've always blamed myself if I don't make money in my business. I work and get nothing in return all the time." He leaned forward imposingly, but Levi remained unflinching, as did I. The man towered over us, but bent over to get in Levi's face in what was meant to be an intimidating display, I'm sure. "But it's not like that for you people, is it? You laze around, get nothing done, and you still get to eat..."

"Right," another pressed. "What're you doing, strolling through town like this? Going shopping?"

The crowd pressed ever closer, and I heard Sasha let out an uncomfortable "eep". Now that wouldn't do; as much as I wanted to defend Levi from this treatment, he didn't need me to protect him - but these kids, however, should have been kept out of it.

I stepped away from Levi and set a hand on Sasha's shoulder, pulling her back and away from the man. I stepped between them and Levi glanced back to see what I was doing. I stood protectively in front of Sasha, my shoulders square and my gaze unyielding.

The man had the audacity to smirk down at me, but it wasn't Levi's smirk. It didn't have warmth in it underneath the cold exterior, nor the familiarity, the flirty undertones, or the love. There was nothing but hunger.

"Captain," Sasha said quietly, nervously. I did not respond to her, I only narrowed my eyes.

"Out on a walk," the man sneered, his breath warm and heavy with booze as it drifted over my face. I sneered up at him in response. "Women in tow... All high and mighty!"

"If you've got any shame at all," another said, "just leave some money and go away. Start repaying us for all the food the Survey Corps didn't earn!"

Levi took a step towards me, presumably to step between me and the man I was growing dangerously close to punching, but he stopped... and his eyes widened suddenly. "Watch out!"

"Levi," I said quietly, unable to say anything more as I focused on trying to figure out what he was suddenly so worried about. Had we been spotted? Only, I couldn't hear anything, and I could only oblige when Levi gently guided me beside him, then behind him.

"Huh?" The man asked. "Watch out for what?"

One of the men grabbed Levi by the collar of his cloak, and I grabbed the man's wrist, stepping out from behind him, and was about to break his damn arm if not for the fact that I still had not figured out what Levi was looking out for. Still, I couldn't let this fool think that he could lay even a finger on Levi. "Keep your hands off-"

It was just then that I heard the pounding footsteps of a running horse pulling a wagon behind it and I cut myself off to listen. "There's a carriage coming!"

I was torn from Levi's side as everyone leapt out of the way of the wagon. I was pulled harshly to the ground by a firm tug on my cloak, and I watched in horror as the people on the wagon grabbed Eren and Historia - or, at least, who they thought were Eren and Historia. They'd really grabbed Armin and Jean, disguised as the wanted pair.

"Armi-" Sasha began, before correcting herself. "I mean, Christa and Eren! They got snatched away again!"

"They're making that a habit," I muttered, realizing with a start that I'd been pulled roughly on top of the man who'd grabbed Levi. When he fell, the man let go of Levi but dragged me down with him. I didn't want to be that close to him, but at least I hadn't gotten run over by a damned wagon. I suppose I had that to be grateful for.

I rolled off the man to my feet, and watched the wagon rush down the street. "Don't just stand around," I said to my subordinates, reaching beneath my cloak, pushing it to the side, and grabbing my controller grips. "Get going! After that wagon!"

We took to the rooftops, chasing after the wagon at a distance so we wouldn't start a fight right away. If we got too close and started a fight now, there was the chance that the disguises on Jean and Armin could be knocked off and the gig would be up. But if we didn't pursue at all, or make it seem like we were not trying, they'd grow suspicious and wonder if they really grabbed who they thought they did.

So, we stayed at a comfortable distance, watching where they were going but never getting too close.

At some point I held my arm up, letting them know to slow as the wagon approached its destination. I continued on, staying out of sight of the people on the wagon but keeping tabs on where they were going. The rest followed behind me, several rooftops back. If the kidnappers thought they lost us, they'd feel safe to escort them from the wagon, and I was right.

They played right into our hands, and after making sure we weren't right there behind them, they escorted their two hostages rather forcefully into the warehouse. When the doors shut behind them, I waved them over, signaling to them that it was clear for them to approach and surround the building.

Levi and I both took to the roof, and our subordinates took up position around the building's windows, keeping just out of sight. Mikasa, after a moment, joined us on the rooftop as I peeked into a skylight. "How's it going inside?" Levi asked the girl.

"If we don't hurry," she said, "they'll see through Armin's disguise. And I feel bad for him..."

My eyes widened, immediately knowing what she was referring to. "Damn perverts."

"I see," Levi responded, sounding just as disgusted as I'm sure we both felt.

"How is your leg?" Mikasa asked, turning to look at him, and I was surprised by it. She didn't seem to exactly be too fond of Levi, though his injury was, in a way, her fault. Still, the concern was surprising. "Any better?"

"I can move well enough," Levi responded and he, in a crouch, set a hand on the knee of his injured leg. "It's not bad. More importantly, these kidnappers... They're nothing but amateurs. Why would they be using guys like this?"

I considered it for a moment. "They're cheap, dispensable..." I trailed off, shrugging after my simple answer. "Who knows? But they've played right into our hands so far. It might be a diversion, just enough for us to let our guard down, so they can surprise us later with a real threat. Or," I mused, "they really don't know what they're doing, so they hired the cheapest they could get. But that's pretty damn unlikely."

"Seems our time underground is getting more and more useful," he snarked, then stood and addressed us both. "You can handle the rest on your own," he said. "I'm heading for Eren. Once you've dealt with the trash, come and meet up with me."

"Roger," Mikasa replied.

"I'm certain I can lead these kiddos," I said as I approached him, "but can you handle the rest on your own?" He looked at me as I did, a skeptical look on his face, and I knew that that face meant. "I'm not doubting you," I assured him, noting in my periphery that Mikasa glanced away, as though to be polite. I took the chance, pressing a kiss to his cheek and speaking quietly to him, and only to him. "Just be careful."

"I always am, you brat," he said indulgently, and that was enough for me. I smiled and took a step back, and he approached the edge of the roof. "One more thing," he said. "I'll tell you, just in case. Tell Armin and the others, too."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest as Mikasa seemed to visibly perk up as he explained his suspicions to us. The people we'd be fighting today would be ready to kill - this we had discussed, this we had anticipated, this we had prepared for. He was also fairly certain he knew who was behind them, leading them, but didn't give a name, and that piqued my interest.

That must have been why he wanted to go off alone, and leave me to lead the kids. He must have an idea of who we were dealing with, to go off on his own like this. It reminded me quite a bit of our first expedition, and I felt the slightest hint of trepidation at the thought that he was going off alone. The last time that happened... Well. Best not to revisit it. Not now.

He would be fine - we would all be fine. I needed only to trust him, and I hoped that this time doing so would not result in the deaths of more people I cared about.

Levi glanced my way before taking off. I met his eyes surely, evenly, and found it in me to smile. With a nod from him, he turned and leapt away. Once he was out of sight, I turned to Mikasa who was, surprisingly, awaiting my order.

"Alright," I said, heading towards the edge of the roof. "We're on."

I shot a grapple into the edge of the roof and repelled myself down, so I was hanging next to one of the windows. I peered inside carefully, gauging the situation inside. The warehouse was, put simply, a mess. It was a large building, dusty and dark on the inside, and stuffed to the brim with boxes, barrels, and sacks filled with who knew what.

In the center aisle were two chairs, occupied by none other than our body doubles, Jean and Armin. There were a few goons patrolling down along the aisles, but no more than that. I planted my feet on the wall and prepared to pull the window open slowly.

"Captain," I heard, and I glanced upwards to look at Mikasa. She had found an open skylight, open just wide enough for us to fit through. I swung over to her and followed her inside quietly. We dropped down gently onto a tall stack of dusty boxes, and I looked over the edge at the ground floor.

There were only a few guards, and I gestured for her to take care of one half of the room. I could see the other young members of the squad on the other side of the room, hopping quietly from rafter to rafter and stack to stack, trailing silently behind the workers. On our side, there were several. I made my way to one end, letting Mikasa take the rest on this end.

I'd done this before, several times. Many of our jobs underground would lead us to buildings like this, and we'd have to rescue some hostages or retrieve a stolen batch or goods. We'd try not to kill who we could, so we learned how to efficiently take someone out silently and quickly. This would be no different.

The others allowed me to get into position before making their moves; if they went early, other patrolling goons would be likely to hear something and react, or keep patrolling and find a body, and sound the alarm.

The two men down on my end were chatting quietly. They were looking out of a nearby window, arms crossed and not really paying much attention to their surroundings. That made this easy - easier than it normally would have been.

I looked over my shoulder and saw that everyone was in position and waiting for the order. I waved my arm out straight, a silent order that we implemented often. At the command, we all burst into action.

I dropped down onto the first man's shoulders, knocking him off balance and sending him to the floor. I stomped his head in once to silence him just as his cohort realized what was happening. Before he could even express his shock, I shut him up with a punch and he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. He didn't get up. Huh.

I set my hands on my hips with a disappointed frown. They didn't even put up a fight. These really were amateurs, just regular men who'd never been in a fight before in their lives.

I stepped out towards Armin and Jean, smiling when I realized everyone else had succeeded in their work as well. But the large wooden doors suddenly began to open, and I ducked back down behind some boxes, hoping the kids would do the same.

There was a group of several men, and I noticed Mikasa ready herself across from me, looking to me for guidance. I met her eyes and nodded to her. Once the first two men were past us, Mikasa leapt out, kneeing one of the men square in the skull. I slid out from my hiding spot, swinging my leg to trip another two of the men as Mikasa threw another goon to the floor.

"What the-"

One of the two men up front began drawing a weapon, but Mikasa took care of it with a swift kick to his head. I bashed two men's heads together, sending them crumpling to the floor. Armin and Jean leapt up from their chairs, using the lengths of rope meant to keep them from moving to begin tying up the men we beat without needing to be told.

One of the men sat up, a hand pressed to his head, but I forced him back to the floor, a knee pressed to his ribs. "Connie," Mikasa called out, forcing the large man to his stomach, "is it really just these guys?"

"Yeah," he replied, "that's it! Nobody else in the area!" I knocked the man underneath me out with a stomp to the temple and got to my feet. The man Mikasa had pinned reached for a gun, but Sasha was quicker with her bow and stopped him before he could grab it.

"Ooh," I said, impressed, before giving the room a once-over to ensure we really had everything taken care of.

"If you move again," Sasha called, "who knows where I'll hit?"

I looked up at her, surprised. "Well now, who taught you all how to shit-talk?" I shook my head indulgently, then rolled my neck to crack it, setting a hand on my shoulder to alleviate some stiffness from it. "Hurry and take care of things here, kiddos."

"All right," Mikasa replied, "first, we tie these guys up, then we meet with the captain." I crouched down next to one of the downed men and began searching through his pockets.

"What do you mean?" Armin asked.

The man I was searching unfortunately had nothing on him, and I moved onto the closest of his cohorts. I'd hoped they'd have orders on them, perhaps a confirmation of payment, anything... it was clear that the angry, portly man that Mikasa had pinned was the leader, but I had a hard time believing that anyone operating in the interior would dare use amateurs for something as important as human hostages; especially if they were being sent to the king.

Eren and Historia were very important targets. The government wanted them, and it wanted them badly. We'd lost custody of him, but had managed to, so far, avoid giving him up. There was no way that this was the best the government could do. No, there had to be a catch.

"Captain's orders, and he sends a message, too." I listened on as Mikasa relayed the message and I oversaw the kids as they continued to tie up the folks.

Once she was done, I gave the kids absolutely no time to absorb her words. I wanted to, I did - but there was just no time. We had none to spare. I was already far too worried about Levi going off alone. We needed to meet with him.

"We've been here for too long," I stated. "We're out of here. Switch to the gear and follow." I hooked near one of the open skylights and pulled myself out and made my way to the roof. My squad followed, and from the roof I began gauging the situation. I could hear what sounded like... dull echoes of... no. No way.

Were those gunshots? They were coming from further into the city, dull booms that were a sound I thought I'd heard the last of. They were faint, but a noise that was hard to forget. All those times underground, sitting at home or on my old roof or hurrying home from a job, hearing gunshots in the distance, echoing back and forth past the rock and buildings towards us.

"Shit," I muttered. "This is bad."

"Gunshots," Sasha exclaimed, and that had ripples of panic rising amongst the others. They were recruits, so young, basically still cadets - of course they'd be terrified by the prospect of guns. But that was why I was here. "From there! I heard a bunch of shots!"

"I heard them, too," I said calmly, setting a hand on my hip. I weighed my options as the kids chattered to themselves. There was what I wanted to do, which was storm after the source of those gunshots. The problem with that was that obviously they had guns. The goons we'd just taken care of were weak, inexperienced. With a gun, well, it was hard to be bad with a gun, especially with our close-range weapons - and I had this awful feeling that the people with those guns were not inexperienced merc's.

"You think something happened?" Jean asked, looking at me uncertainly.

"Most likely," Mikasa answered before I could. "The captain had this message for us. From now on, we'll be fighting humans, too, and not just Titans."

"Huh? You mean...?"

"She's right," I said, taking control of the situation. "They have guns, so it's important that you kids- Hey!"

...I suppose I didn't have control, then. I called out when Mikasa suddenly took off, and my eyes narrowed as I leapt from the roof to follow her. Unless she heard the shots too, I wasn't exactly sure she should be leading, and besides that, I hadn't given her the order to move. I looked back at the stunned kids still on the roof, seeing that they were stockstill, scared out of their minds and terribly uncertain on what to do next.

"Move it!" I ordered. I was sure that of all the kids, Mikasa would have no issues fighting people, especially if as a child she and Eren had killed several, if that report was true. But fighting Titans and people were entirely different. I'd have hoped to talk to them at least a little bit to prepare them, but...

Mikasa was apparently calling the shots today.

I huffed and caught up with her, making my way just under her so I could look up at her. She met my eyes, and I sent her a look that told her we'd be having a talk about this later. She was a sweet girl, she really was - the time in the house together under the same roof told me that - but she needed to learn to follow orders. The look she sent me wasn't apologetic, which I expected. Eren was in danger, which meant she'd disobey every order she felt necessary, even unspoken ones.

Honestly, she was just like Levi.

We were spread out across several rooftops as we all headed towards the center of the city. I adopted my usual method of flying, that which made me fast, incredibly so - but did not push it, for I could not leave the kids in the dust if I was to protect them, too. If we got ambushed, I'd need to be able to help them, and I couldn't do that if I was too far ahead of them.

Several paces back and away, Connie called out. "Hey! There goes Eren!" I swung over without thinking, my eyes widening at what I saw. Eren and Historia were laying lifeless in the cart as it raced down the road, and there was Levi, trailing them.

And, between us...

Oh, no.

"Captain," Armin called out anxiously.

"Change course!" I ordered. "After that cart, and fast! He's being chased!"

"What the hell," I heard Jean exclaim, and goodness, he sounded so nervous.

"Get ready to fight," I called. Seeing the people who were so clearly after Levi, I narrowed my eyes. "Fuck that, actually. I'll take care of them all before anyone else can."

I took a sharp turn and began pushing myself to fly faster. There was another man with gear, though it was altered and this man was definitely not a scout. He was chasing after Levi, who promptly turned and killed him with a grapple to the stomach. I winced as he repelled towards him and sliced him open.

Alright, so that confirmed it. These were who we were fighting.

Perfect, then. After Levi turned back over himself, another soldier promptly took the place of the one killed. Though Levi was keeping a close eye on her over his shoulder, I took initiative before he could, and even before the soldier could - though it was incredibly, increasingly clear that she was aiming to kill him. I certainly couldn't let that happen, now could I? So, I swept in with only a single grapple, flying in close and drawing my blades in a movement smoother than it should have been.

"Stay away from my husband, you bitch," I said. I ducked below her, getting between the soldier and Levi, and faster than a blink, we locked eyes and my blades slid through her skin and through to the other side of her body. Shocked, brown eyes that were quickly losing all the light within them looked right through me, but I did not falter. "He's mine, and mine alone. I won't let you touch him."

Because I was between them, whatever blood left her body fell to me instead of to him. If he was grateful more for that or for me taking care of this woman, I didn't know, but it didn't matter. I caught his eye, and the dutiful, serious sort of respect that always came with dark jobs like this passed between us once more. It was solemn, but it was still, after all this time, like second-nature to us.

It was unfortunate, but it was true.

We had a job to do. I broke away from Levi, and adjusted to fly across the street. Just as I passed a chimney though, I could see the shadow of a person as they jumped out, their guns aimed towards me. I nearly cried out, but I bit my surprise down and grappled to the chimney to swing around him.

My sudden change in direction meant that he missed both shots, and I used my momentum to swing by him, the wire wrapping around his neck and pinning him to the chimney he'd ducked behind as I continued to arc around. I drew my blades as soon as I was able and released the grapple, slicing a clean line along his body, killing him and sending him flying from the roof.

I released my grapple and ran along the roof, wiping his blood from my cheek before leaping off again. Now, I made the mistake of looking back at the kids, for I just now remembered that they were there and were watching. The look of horror in their faces made me frown, and I could feel my heart break a bit... and in particular Jean looked especially shaken as they trailed behind us.

Ah, well. Such was the reality of war.

Their captains were killers. Would that shake their faith or trust in us? I hoped, for their sake, that this only bolstered their confidence in us and emboldened them to fight for their lives if the need arose.

Levi perched on the side of a building, watching the kids approach. "Chase the wagon!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Listen up," he said, once they were caught up and we all flew alongside each other. "They're used to fighting people! They already got three of ours."

Three...? My eyes widened at the realization - they got our borrowed soldiers from Hange. Shit. That meant Nifa, and... Oh, this wasn't good. Those were elite soldiers, some of the best we had. More of our veterans, gone.

"If we're gonna get those two back," Levi continued, talking of course about Eren and Historia, "you can't hesitate! If you get the chance, you kill! Got it?"

"Roger!" Mikasa replied, as expected. It seemed the others still needed some convincing.

"If you hesitate," I said, looking back at them, "it can cost you your life. They're prepared to kill you. Don't let them." Jean met my eyes warily, but I looked at him only for a moment before looking at Levi. Our eyes met, and he nodded at me, his eyes narrow and ready. Wordlessly, we came to an agreement, and I glanced back at the kids again. "We'll take out who we can."

All at once, Levi and I started to move - as though choreographed, just as always, falling back into old habits that refused to die, even as unpracticed as they were.

I swung down low, aiming for the cart. There were three manning it right now. One was directing the horse, and the other two prepared to fight to protect the cart. I feinted going for one, the same one Levi aimed for.

...I wondered what he saw, in that moment. Two captains, deadly vipers of battle, poisonous and ruthless, battle-hardened and instinct-driven... and looking at you, their prey.

The one we weren't aimed for let their guard down, which was their mistake as I latched to the building across the street, now level with the cart, and missed our original target entirely; I propelled feet-first towards that second soldier, kicking him from the cart and sending him rolling to the road below.

I landed on the cart, drawing my blades with a flourish just as Levi used his grapples to pull the other soldier from the cart.

"Armin, Jean," Levi called, "secure the wagon! We'll cover you!"

"Sir!"

I could see two more enemies advancing towards us from the left. I flew up towards them, planning to take them by surprise. I took a breath to prepare myself and took a page from Levi's book. Eyeing my first target, I lined up my shot and grappled right through the chest of him, and after a quick readjustment of my hips, grappled the arm of the other as I flew up in front of them.

I could see their eyes widen, both in surprise and pain, but it wasn't to last.

I narrowed my eyes and retracted the gear, pulling us all towards each other. I took my knife from my boot and stabbed through the closer man's chest as he was dragged closer. The second man I grabbed by the collar and kneed in the face, needing to release some gas to stay afloat all the while.

After pulling in my first wire from the now dead man, I used it to hook to a nearby building, dragging me upwards as the man still hooked could do nothing but be pulled along. I tore my knife from his partner's chest and stabbed the blade through his throat and threw him from the roof to the road below. I leapt from the edge of the roof and watched the progress of the others as I caught up with the wagon.

My eyes widened and I flew towards them, seeing that Jean, now on the cart, was being threatened at gunpoint. He was knocked to his ass, eyes wide with fear and left weaponless. Without thinking, I swung in and landed between them, my knife in hand, my eyes narrow and dangerous.

I thought I had enough time, I thought I could get her before she got me. But I didn't. Before my knife could make contact, I was met with the butt of a gun to my chin, sending me flying off the wagon. I cried out as I fell over the side, and my vision went white as my head made contact with the road, my senses fading in and out with each roll.

I heard only one more thing before all went dark, and it was the panicked call of my name.