Once Jean had proved Marlo and Hitch's loyalty, they proved to be incredibly useful. The two deserters led us to a checkpoint that was comparably less secure than the others with less men occupying it, and honestly, It was almost too easy to take over - not that I was complaining about that aspect of it. No, after so much trouble and strife, something that was easier than expected was a welcome gift.

Intending to keep me from doing it in case I, oh, I don't know, fell off a wagon again somehow, Levi apprehended the commanding officer in charge while I led the rest of us back into the woods.

What struck me as odd was how easy it had been; these were Military Policemen, which meant that they were all at one point the best their classes had to offer. And they'd been young, too, so they were fresh from training. Still, I wasn't complaining. In a regiment where everything was against us anyway, a lucky break every once in a while was something I was not going to pass up.

When a strange dragging noise began as a murmur in the distance, the kids all tensed up, doing as we had trained them to do at the first sign of someone approaching. We'd all gone on the defensive but soon, Levi's voice rang out to let us know it was him. And sure enough, he came up the hill now to meet us, dragging the larger man behind him. "It's me," he called out once more, and I sheathed my blade, holding my hand out for the kids to lower their weapons as well.

"Captain," Armin said, "he's..."

Levi dropped the man, and he fell to the ground in a heap with a grunt. "With the Interior Police," Levi confirmed. "I've got a few questions for him. Let's move."

"Connie, Sasha, scout ahead, make sure the way is clear," I ordered. "And no funny business or goofing off, understand?"

"Roger," they cried out in unison, setting out further into the forest towards the area we'd taken to claim as our own. I set my hands on my hips and looked down at the man Levi brought. He noticed me standing there and looked up at me, breathing deep and absolutely seething.

"I sure hope Levi wasn't too rough with you," I said to him. "Because we've got some questions for you and I do so hope you decide to cooperate."

"You pieces of shit," he hissed. "Like I'd tell you anything."

I tutted quietly. "Now, now," I patronized. "Please behave yourself. Let's all conduct ourselves as the honorable soldiers we pretend to be, shall we?" I looked away from the man and turned my attention to the kids. "Armin, Jean, Mikasa, please collect our things. We're heading out."

"Yes, ma'am," they called, and all three got to work.

I stood on one side of the man, Levi on the other. "Ready?" I asked, looking at Levi. He nodded, and we each grabbed him under each arm. "Ok, bud," I said, grabbing under his arm, "up you get."

We dragged the man behind us, and eventually set up atop a hill. It was dark out by the time we did, and I suppressed a yawn as Levi dropped the man with his back to a tree. With the kids setting up around us, hiding behind trees to keep watch for us, Levi and I got ready, and at long last, the questioning began.

This man... well, he wasn't being very cooperative, so we had to resort to violence. And what a shame it was; we had been so polite to him.

"Where are Eren and Christa?" Levi asked, crouching down with a hand to his knee.

"Oh, you're so brave," the man spat out. "That checkpoint back there was just recruits who could barely wipe their own ass. You think you're some sort of heroes, beating them down?"

"Recruits who should've been trained to do more than wipe their ass, surely," I muttered. "They're the best the graduating classes have to offer, no?" I set my hands on my hips and one of my eyebrows arched upwards as I looked down my nose at the man currently glaring at me. "We got stuck with these fools and even they know how to do more than that. I don't feel bad at all, really. Sorry to disappoint."

"What an atrocious thing we've done," Levi agreed dryly, standing up. He suddenly shoved his foot into the man's mouth, and I forced myself to watch, disgusting though it was. I set my jaw and had no choice but to listen to the man struggle to breathe, considering the circumstances.

"But what's more atrocious is this mouth of yours," Levi continued. "I recommend you start talking while you're still able to use it." His next question was articulate, specific, and incredibly clear: "Where are Eren and Historia?"

Levi removed his foot from the man's mouth, but still, the man refused to talk. I frowned and crouched down before him, meeting his venomous gaze with what I hoped was a soft one that might entice him to speak.

"You're about to lose your jaw," I warned him gently, as gently as I could. "You might want to start talking. Where are they?"

"It's no use," he said, voice raw and garbled as blood dribbled down his chin and loose teeth rattled around in his mouth. "All that's left for you now is to run and hide inside these walls, covered in mud and shit! If you don't turn yourselves in, every last scout we captured will get the noose! Starting with the one most guilty of all, Erwin Smith!"

Well, that did it. My eyes narrowed and I stood, wanting to kick him, but Levi was there first, twisting the man around and pressing his face to the trunk of the tree with his arm behind his back.

"Shut up," Levi said, his voice a dangerously clear warning.

"Keep his name out of your filthy mouth," I hissed.

"That's for not answering our question," Levi spoke, all the venom that had been in our hostage's voice now residing in his own. "Some scouts' lives are more valuable than others. Only those dumb enough to acknowledge that join us." Levi let go of him rather roughly, then stood up straight. "Tell us where Eren and Christa are."

The man was suddenly crying, no - wailing, but I couldn't bring myself to care. He looked between us pathetically, hoping for mercy. His eyes settled on mine, and I was nearly struck by all the fear I could see within them. God, he was pathetic, but whatever mercy I might have provided him was gone when he chose not to answer when I asked him to.

"I – I don't know," he answered. "I'm not allowed to know! Kenny Ackerman is a very cautious man!" My eyes widened and I glanced at Levi. This Kenny... was he a relative of Mikasa?

"Ackerman?" Levi repeated, as interested by this intriguing surname as I was. "I know Kenny... Is that his last name?"

"It is, but..."

"True," Levi said with a sigh when the man trailed off, not having a way to answer him. There was a tightness in his voice, one I didn't hear often. This must've really shaken him, then. Perhaps... Perhaps there was more to this Kenny character than I knew.

In my time knowing him, I hadn't heard of Kenny, at least not a Kenny Ackerman, and not one that Levi was so clearly interested in. But why hadn't he told me? Levi always was rather protective of his past, and I never pressed him for details - he only divulged what he was comfortable with, and I was perfectly fine with that. He was the man I loved, and I figured anything I needed to know, he would tell me with time.

But this... perhaps this would prompt him into letting me in on his past a little sooner than anticipated, especially if even just the idea of this man was enough to shake him so deeply.

"There's a lot of things he doesn't divulge," Levi went on to say. "Especially the important stuff. But you must have a rough idea. You best try to remember." Levi grabbed his arm, met with futile pleas to stop from the man. "You still have plenty of bones left to break."

"You... You're insane!"

"Maybe," Levi spoke after a pause, considering his words.

"But he gets the job done," I argued. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Sasha suddenly notched an arrow and pulled it back, and as simple as the action was, it caught all of our attention, all at once.

"Someone's coming from that way," she said, and in response, we erupted into action, the short flurry of rapid movement followed immediately by complete and total stillness.

Weapons were drawn, the man pressed to the grass by Levi, and breaths held. I held my knife in my hand and pressed my back to the tree trunk, ensuring the blade was pressed flat against me so that it would not catch whatever moonlight it could find and give away my position. When the man made to move, I pressed my foot to the man's head to help keep him down.

"More than one," Sasha hissed.

"Told you so, captains," the man sneered. I put more pressure on his head and he sucked in a breath and rather stupidly decided to continue. "It's no use. One way or another, the scouts will soon come to an end!"

"Something you have to understand about us," I said quietly, looking down at him, "is that so long as we draw breath, we're not allowing that to happen."

I peeked now around the tree, watching as two figures, cloaked and hooded, waded through the tall grass of the fields below these foothills. The figures approached slowly and quietly, and I waited with bated breath as they did. At the base of the hill, one reached up to remove their hood. I adjusted my hold on my knife, prepared to throw it if necessary.

The figure lowered their hood, and at the sight of a familiar, friendly face, I smiled and stepped out into plain view.

"Nice of you to join us, you two," I said in greeting, setting my hands on my hips.

I could see Hange smile, and Moblit lowered his hood now, too. They came up the hill and got right to the point. With a flourish, Hange removed from their jacket a piece of paper. Hange handed it to me, and I unfolded it, giving it a once-over as Levi tied up the man for now. He came up beside me once he was done, settling himself on a tree stump and waiting for the paper to be handed his way.

It was an article, hastily written, and published earlier today. My mouth dropped open in shock as it finally registered the words I was reading, and I handed the page to Levi as soon as I was finished. "Hange," I said, hardly daring to believe it. "Is it legit?"

"It's legit," Hange confirmed as the kids surrounded Levi, reading the document over his shoulder. "There you have it," Hange said proudly. "The coup d'état was successful. Premier Zachary has control of the capital and administrative district."

"Well, holy shit," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "The crazy sons of bitches did it."

"For the time being," Hange continued, "the nobility hasn't rebelled."

"What about the Boss Reeves incident?" Armin asked.

"We got a confession that proved the charges unfounded," Hange answered. "His son Flegel really pulled through big time. Just like it's written right there, it shows the charges were bogus, they abused their power, and that King Fritz was a total fake. All our actions were justified self-defense."

"And what of Erwin?" I asked, looking at Moblit, then at Hange. "Have you seen him?"

"He's a little worse for wear," Hange answered, "but he's alright now." The smile on their face was true, and the truth in their eyes was undeniable. Goddesses, I almost couldn't believe it, myself. A plan of ours had... it had worked. It worked!

The regiment that knew nothing but failure and disappointment... had been right and had exposed the truth. One of Erwin's gambles had paid off, finally!

"So, you mean..."

"In other words," Hange said, looking at me, "we're free people now."

I bit my lip to contain my excitement, but the kids had a bit harder of a time doing that. They all cheered, leaping into the air. They jumped around and did odd little dances, and I couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle. They were hugging each other, whistling, happy that we were finally not fugitives. No longer were we criminals on the run. Our stint with the law was over!

Levi barely looked up from the document, choosing instead to stand still amongst the chaos, a hand on his hip as he read it over and over again. But to me, the excitement in the air was as palpable as it was contagious, and I could barely contain myself. I mean, really, I hadn't missed being forced into hiding due to being a criminal. I thought those days were behind me. Maybe now, finally, they were - for good, this time.

So, to that end... Fuck it.

I plucked the article from Levi's hands and placed my other hand on the back of his head, pulling him to me to kiss him on the mouth. A surprised noise came from the back of his throat, but he kissed me back, his hands - now empty - coming to rest around my waist. He pulled away as soon as he remembered where he was, indicated by the sound of wolf whistles all around us but I smiled, far too relieved at the moment to care.

He grabbed the article from me again but now that my own hands were free, I placed a hand on each of his cheeks and drew him to me again. After pecking him on the lips once more I pulled away and pressed my forehead to his.

"You damn woman," he said against my mouth.

"Oh, lighten up," I murmured playfully, drawing from him but still clinging to his side. I wrapped my arms around him, clasping my hands together on his far shoulder, so I could hold him close and rest my cheek on his nearer shoulder to me. Hange approached us and I grinned at them.

"Looks like the gamble paid off," Levi said, flustered still from my affection and forcing his voice to remain even. He grabbed a fistful of the back of my shirt and tried prying me off, but I tightened my hold slightly, refusing to let go. Resigning himself to his fate, he sighed and looked at Hange.

"Yeah," Hange said. "It wasn't just Erwin though. The lone choices of many managed to change the world."

"And we managed to kill the three people you loaned us," Levi said ruefully. I frowned, letting out a breath. "I'm sorry."

"I'm so sorry, Hange," I spoke. "They fought well... but you knew that already. They were good soldiers."

Hange smiled, their reflective gaze drifting between us. Hange knew, but more than that, they forgave us - but more than that, Hange was proud of their soldiers for what they did for humanity. We all were.

"The thing is," Levi went on to say, "part of the Interior Police, their leader, Eren, and Historia are somewhere else. If we don't find them soon..."

"I may have a clue about that," Hange said, lifting a book from the depths of their cloak. "Let's get there and put an end to this battle."

I allowed a playful, faux frown pull at my lips. "No time for a celebratory dinner then, huh? But we worked so hard..."

"Patience now, patience," Hange said with a wink. "All in due time. Besides, we still need to arrange a ceremony for you two lovebirds, don't we?"

"Hange," Levi said warningly.

"If you insist," I said to Hange with a smile. "And we can have it right on the grounds of the base!"

"In late summer," Hange mused, "when everything's at its brightest and the air is crisp, and the foliage starts to turn... Ooh, I'm excited!"

I laughed, and Levi clicked his tongue. "Both of you, knock it off. I don't like when you two work together."

"Alright, alright," I relented. "So tell us, Hange. Operation: Save Eren and Historia is a go. Where are we headed?"

"I'll tell you as we go," Hange said. "Let's move out."

—

"Hange," Mikasa said, "you might know where they are?"

Mikasa, Hange, Levi and I were in a wagon led by Armin, the others flanking us on their horses. Oh, it's important to note - our horses were safe, too, and standing by for when we needed them.

"Yeah," Hange answered. "I'll explain. Erwin gave me this scout investigation report regarding Lord Reiss' land. Most of it has to do with an incident five years ago that shook up the Reiss family."

"Five years ago," Armin echoed.

"Right," Hange confirmed. "On the day Wall Maria was breached. I'll summarize the important bits from the beginning. As the lord of his territory, popular opinion of Rod Reiss wasn't all that bad. He had five children, and his eldest daughter Frieda was a down-to-earth girl that even the peasants adored."

I leaned back in the wagon, getting comfortable, settling in for the story. I listened as Hange explained something about what happened five years ago to them, in which bandits raided the chapel and set it aflame. The family had been there praying, and everyone save for the patriarch - Rod Reiss - had perished at the hands of the bandits. It all happened just before Historia's mother was killed by the Interior Police, meaning Rod sought out his illegitimate daughter after losing his entire family.

"The same bloodline?" Levi offered, as to why Historia might have been so important to Rod. "Is there some secret to their blood?"

"I don't know for sure yet," Hange admitted. "But what really makes me curious is that parts of the chapel are completely wrecked. The chapel itself is stone. It would take tons of time and effort to destroy it. Bandits would take what they can and make a quick escape."

"Besides that, fire wouldn't do that to a chapel," I said, "not if it's stone. At least, not fire by itself."

"Exactly," Hange said. "Plus, the only one who saw those bandits was Rod Reiss himself. Soon after, he used his own fortune to rebuild the chapel. But why? If you think about it, it's actually stranger that there were no traces of Titans. Even if I'm jumping to conclusions, something this suspicious deserves us checking it out."

"So, we've got a stone chapel, mysteriously destroyed by fire alone after bandits killed Reiss' family, the true royal family, no less," I said. "And he absolutely needed to have the chapel rebuilt there, over the old one?" I shrugged. "Certainly sounds incredibly suspicious to me. Where are the rest of the scouts now?"

"Before the night is over, we'll have soldiers all over Reiss' land," Hange answered. "Unfortunately, I doubt he'll be waiting that long. If we don't hurry and get there, Eren may end up being eaten."

I nodded before turning my head to look in the direction the wagon was going. With a sigh, I closed my eyes, letting the wind blow across my face and through my hair. Finally, it seemed like things were coming to a head, for better or for worse.

Rod Reiss... Historia Reiss... We still couldn't be sure what their significance was, other than being the true royal successors. But finally, finally, things were coming to light. With each added piece of evidence, information, speculation, more was uncovered but conversely, more questions were raised.

It was exciting, to be sure, but also terrifying. What was so horrible that we couldn't know about it? Just what was the government hiding? Why did we need a false royal family in the first place? Who was this Kenny Ackerman that was involved? Levi knew him, that was obvious, but what was their relationship? How did they know each other? And on that note, did Mikasa know him, then?

This Kenny was dangerous, that was obvious, it was something made clear by Levi's hesitance to tell me regarding what happened to him in the city - it could only have been Kenny, then. But what was their history?

Oh, and there were horror stories passed along about the man who slit the throats of so many Military Policemen, one Kenny the Ripper. As a kid, the stories had terrified me; El was a Military Policeman. I had no way of knowing that the stories were actually real - but could this be that Kenny?

If he was... the thought alone was terrifying. El... had been murdered. What if... No. I had no proof of anything yet. I had no way of knowing for sure.

"Understand? He's Kenny the Ripper," Levi said, pulling me from my thoughts at the mention of the name of the very man I was thinking of. Ah, speak of the devil. I opened my eyes, paying close attention, now. But fuck me, how much of this conversation did I miss?

"If he's there," Levi said, "he'll be our biggest obstacle. In terms of how much of a threat he is, equate him to me as an enemy. No... With those weapons of his, he's deadlier than me."

"Then he's unbeatable," Sasha said, "at least for us."

"If we could meet up with the troops-"

"Absolutely not," Mikasa cut Connie off.

"I know," Connie said hurriedly, "absolutely not! If we wait until morning, Eren might end up getting eaten!"

Armin spoke up, then, turning back to look at us. "Though, if what the captain said is true, it's not like he has no weak points."

"For real, Armin?" Jean asked, clearly not believing it.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's trained plenty, but having combat experience is something else."

"I wonder," Hange said, "how is it that you lived with Kenny the Ripper but know almost nothing about him, Levi?"

"Sorry," Levi said, "but I only found out his full name not too long ago. Apparently, it's Kenny Ackerman. He some relative of yours?"

"I heard from my parents when they were alive that my dad's side, the Ackermans, were persecuted in the cities," Mikasa said in answer. "My mom's family was oriental, so being a different race meant they didn't fit in anywhere. Both were people chased deep in the mountains near the edge of the walls, so that's how they met and married. But I never found out why the Ackermans were persecuted. My dad didn't seem like a different race like my mom was."

"Has there ever been a moment," Levi started slowly, "where it's felt like power suddenly awakened inside you?"

Mikasa's eyes widened, and her voice was quiet as she answered. "There has." She was... almost hesitant, as if afraid to admit it.

"Kenny Ackerman had a moment like that, too," Levi said. "One time, out of nowhere, he felt an absurd amount of strength surging within him and he knew exactly what he had to do. I've felt moments like that, too."

So... they were all related, then.

I could immediately think of two instances that Levi had moved with impossible speed, with superhuman strength to match it.

The first that stood out to me was years ago, hell, over six years ago by now, when he killed the Titan that had killed Farlan and Isabel and had almost taken my life. It didn't quite seem like it was him doing it...

He was so fast, so strong, so agile, his movements calculated perfectly yet still there was a reckless abandon in him. He sliced through the Titan's skin and muscle as if it was paper and he had the sharpest knife known to man. It was power in its rawest form and I had wondered where it came from. I figured it was just the grief and anger getting to him. It was adrenaline. At least, that's what I thought.

The second instance was when he had cut up the Female Titan, Annie. He had traveled, if possible, even faster than he had in the first instance and the level of control and power he held despite those speeds had been nearly inconceivable. He had been a blur, slicing her to ribbons with ease when so many of our most elite soldiers had been plucked from the air like gently falling petals by her. For all her power, she'd been powerless. He had fought as if it was as easy as breathing, at that moment.

I always knew that Levi was head and shoulders above everybody else, even me. Sure, I was pegged as Humanity's Strongest woman, the Blue Wing that people had begun to look up to. But my speed, which I was known for by now, was still nothing compared to what he could do when he called upon this power no one knew he had.

His strength made so much sense now. He didn't necessarily work out less than other soldiers, but he hadn't ever overdone it and he wasn't big. No, on the contrary he was admittedly tiny, a small man compared to the likes of Erwin and Reiner, and even standing next to Jean or even Farlan, judging on looks alone no one would bet on Levi.

I had never understood how he fit so much strength inside that lithe frame of his, how he could pull out this insane speed and power and yet still be this short man, skinny and not over-built, with the grace and agility of a dancer, with movements that appeared choreographed.

Now, it appeared I had my answer. There was something running through his blood, the same blood that flowed through Mikasa and Kenny, that could awaken strength and speed and wisdom that would make sure he did what he needed to, when he needed to. I wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. It was odd, thinking that he had this almost divine power hiding within him.

If Levi and I ever got around to having children, they'd be blessed – or perhaps, cursed – with this power. Hopefully, they wouldn't ever have to use it. I could only hope that by then, we'd have taken care of all of the dangers this world had to offer and they could live in peace. I didn't usually pray to our goddesses, but if it meant that my children could live without ever needing to use the power they'd inherit from their father, then I'd start.

"Amaya," I heard, and I came back to my senses. I looked to Hange, a worried frown on their face. "Are you alright? You keep getting lost in thought."

"I'm fine," I said. "Sorry. There's just been a lot to think about lately."

"Too true," Hange agreed. "We've learned so much in so short a time. And yet..."

"We've only scratched the surface," I finished when Hange trailed off.

I could feel Levi's gaze on me but I couldn't meet his eyes. He'd tell me to stay behind, that I wasn't myself lately, I'd only get myself hurt by trying to fight right now. And maybe I wasn't myself. Maybe I was going to get myself hurt. But I wasn't missing this. I wasn't going to let them save Eren and Historia without me.

I couldn't help the way I kept drifting away into my thoughts recently. So much has happened, and yet... nothing has happened at the same time. We'd already fought so much, lost so much, but still had so far to go. Goddesses, my head spun just thinking of it all.

I found myself fretting more, an odd maternal instinct taking over me when I thought about the young new scouts we led charging into battle, these uncharted waters, where even Levi and I didn't know what we were fighting, or rather, who. I was a mother hen with too many chicks to look after and too many foxes lurking in the shadows, just waiting for me to let my guard down.

"There's the chapel," Hange said, and we all turned and looked. - and indeed, there it was. When we got there, all was eerily quiet, which was a bad sign. We searched the chapel, small though it was, going through each nook and cranny. It was decorated simply, yet it looked like no one had been here in years. But how could that be?

Well, that simply meant that what we were looking for wasn't in the main chapel. That was obvious. It was just a matter now of finding whatever this chapel led to. The only trick was finding how to open the way, and fast, while also readying our countermeasures and preparing for the coming fight. Thankfully, Armin had taken the lead on that front, coming up with an ingenious way of fighting Kenny's squad. A secret passage was soon found by Hange, underneath a rug that looked to be hastily placed. Hange crouched down next to it.

"Eren's gotta be in here with the enemy," Hange decided, and I stopped what I was doing, which was uselessly trying to pull different books in a shelf in hopes there was a secret passage like so many books I'd read and joined them, crouching down at Levi's side. "Hopefully the layout in there is like I predicted."

"These presents better pay off," Levi said, "considering we went out of the way to prepare them."

"They will," I said, finally meeting Levi's eyes determinedly. For the time we spent searching the chapel, I'd been keeping to myself, knowing that if Levi approached, it'd be to tell me to stay back.

Sure, maybe I was slowing down, and sure, avoiding him in the chapel even as he tried to come talk to me was difficult and perhaps even childish, but I wasn't missing this. An odd expression crossed Levi's face then, indecipherable and almost unnoticeable to someone who didn't know him like I did. But I'd spent years looking at his face. I could read his face so easily, and he knew that.

"I know they will," I said surely, quietly.

"All right," Armin called, "we're good to go!"

"Are we?" Levi asked, prying his eyes from mine. "Is everyone ready to get their hands dirty, too?"

He was met with silence. I could see the determination in their eyes, their jaws set stiff. They were ready, I knew this for a fact. They knew what needed to be done. The only question now was if they'd be able to go through with it. Lucky for them, I was more than ready. Maybe they wouldn't even need to fight at all, tonight.

Levi hummed thoughtfully. "Guess so."

I set my hand on Levi's leg. It just so happened I was on his right side, so I'd reached out with my left hand, the one bearing my ring. He clasped his hand over mine firmly, offering a squeeze. He gently slid his hand under my own, lifting it. He brought my hand to his lips, giving the ring a kiss. I smiled at him, meeting his gaze. His eyes lingered on my hand as he lowered it but flickered to mine after a moment.

They were movements and actions so simple, yet they spoke so loudly.

And louder still were the words his eyes were trying to tell me, for in his gaze was a silent command: Don't get hurt, they seemed to say, and don't die, brat.

I could only hope my answer to him was evident in my own eyes: I wouldn't dream of it, idiot.

And that... that was all.

"Let's get to work," I said, and at my words, everything seemed to move once more. The trapdoor was opened, the way below revealed. One by one, we dropped down into the tunnel underneath the chapel. The barrel traps prepared by Armin were lowered gently, and when all was ready, we began heading down the tunnel, wheeling the barrels along with us as we walked single file on high-alert for any sounds.

The dark tunnel eventually opened up to a wider walkway, and it wasn't long before we neared a set of closed, wooden doors. We could only assume that the doors were closed - or there at all, really - to prevent an ambush. Whatever was waiting for us on the other side of these doors, it was all too likely that our enemies would be there as well, ready to fight.

"Is everyone ready?" I asked, drawing my own blades slowly. It was a prompt, a clear one, and everyone prepared themselves, unsheathing blades, checking gear, readjusting straps and tightening their harnesses.

Armin readied his flare gun, and Sasha drew back an arrow, touching the arrow tip to Armin's torch flame. All eyes eventually came to rest on me, and I met them all in turn. I took a quick glance over them and smiled.

"Alright," I said, satisfied. "We're on."

We slammed the doors open, and we waited only a moment before sending in the barrels, our thoughtful presents to the Anti-Personnel Squad, led by Kenny Ackerman himself. We waited for a moment, letting the barrels roll down the steps and roll to a stop before rushing in, weapons at the ready.

And then we could see them - and we saw just what we needed.

Someone hastily ducked back behind a pillar, but with just that, we knew that they were here, and so I gave the order. "They're here! We end this now!"

Sasha set up first, lining up a shot on one of our presents. It exploded in a magnificent cloud of black smoke, and I could hear the surprised gasps of the members of Kenny's squad. I wasted no time in diving down into the smoke, making sure to take a good look at what we were working with. The cavern was huge, held up by numerous large pillars made of the same glowing material of the floor and ceiling. Strangely enough, it looked to stretch on forever. Logically, I knew it wouldn't - but goodness, it certainly seemed like it did.

Still, onto our strategy: as Armin had put it, their way of fighting was flawed. Whereas our gear was suited for up close and personal fighting, designed for fighting Titans, the gear of our enemies was ranged. This was not inherently a problem for them.

In fact, their gear was designed specifically for killing people, and Scouts, at that, and had proved to be very effective thus far. But ranged weapons required awareness of their surroundings past their immediate self.

Our blades became extensions of our arms, but their guns required reloading and time to aim. What Armin proposed was to remove their ability to line up a shot on us. That was what these barrels would do, along with the flare guns we brought along.

Guns, of course, relied on sight. Take away the soldier's sight, they'd become useless. Using the smoke as cover, we could get close, make the kill, then fade back into the darkness like we were never there. It was ingenious, really. I was glad that we had so many bright minds on our side.

It was time I put my thinking aside, and got to acting.

So, I dove into the smoke, blocking my eyes and nose with my arms. If I was right, there was a large pillar just yards ahead of me to my right, and thankfully for me, I was just about always right. I shot out a wire blind, yet my aim was true; I felt it as the grapple hooked onto something solid, and I allowed the winch to pull me in.

I propelled towards what was surely the pillar, releasing a burst of gas to burst out of the cloud of smoke quickly. I was pleased - now that I could see properly - that I was right, and doing what I could to hide the true extent of my smile, I swung around the pillar, watching as Levi took the charge above the smoke.

"Thirty-five enemies," Levi called out, and I wondered briefly how he could possibly have counted all of them that quickly, but I decidedly took his word for it and stayed quiet. "They're gathered behind the pillars!" So, we had some work to do. "Continue the plan! We'll take 'em all out right here!"

There were two soldiers perched on the pillar I had latched to, and I narrowed my eyes, changing course to swing upwards as quickly as I could. The two hadn't noticed me, since I came from below, and what made it especially easy was the fact that they were next to each other, looking around wildly, trying to gauge the situation - but I did not allow them to.

I drew both blades, appearing suddenly in front of them. Their eyes snapped to mine, and I shot out a wire between them. I let the winch pull me in, and neither of them had even a single second to react before I cut through them, killing them both as I landed in a crouch against the pillar between their now-falling bodies.

"Make that thirty-three," I said to myself, keeping myself perched on the pillar to find my next targets. The Anti-Personnel Squad began to mobilize in response to our attacks, but Sasha and Armin continued to cover us, and we continued to cover them, by ensuring no one could reach them.

I saw one of our enemies leap from a pillar, directing herself towards Levi. I hurried to follow, remembering that with their gear, their entire backsides were left unprotected while they were flying around. So, this should have been easy, then.

I was faster than her, because of course I was, I was certain I was faster than damn near everyone within and without these three walls, and as such, I caught up quickly. I sheathed one blade to free up one hand, preparing for a battle - though I prepared for a shot one.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw another soldier appear, and I internally cursed as he made a beeline for me. He lined up his shot and I found myself at the wrong end of a gun, but I did not falter; I charged forward with another burst of gas and grabbed the soldier I was initially chasing by the back of her shirt. She cried out in surprise, but she was far too slow to react as I turned, thrusting her in the way of the incoming shot just as it was fired.

The man's eyes widened, realizing that he had just shot his comrade, but I didn't stop, because these soldiers all had two shots at a time, and I didn't want to be his next kill. I dropped the woman, wasting no time changing course and charging at him. I swung right by him, dodging a ham-fisted attempt from him to swipe at me. My eyes narrowed as his wide, scared eyes met mine, and I did not look away as I sliced a line along his chest. His clothes and skin were torn open with my drawn blade, and hearing his garbled shouts as he fell from the air, I knew he was dead.

"Thirty-one," I said, wiping blood that was not my own from my cheek. I found a secure place to perch for a moment and after making my way there, I landed in a crouch, looking around at what was going on.

I could see the kids, dipping in and out of the smoke, all working hard and all accounted for, thankfully. And to their credit, the Anti-Personnel Squad members seemed to be having a lot of trouble keeping track of them - more than I expected. I let relief flood through my senses briefly as I caught my breath.

Murdering people was not something I missed, but they'd killed enough Scouts already. I wasn't going to let them kill more just because the usual hollow feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach at the mere thought of how many I'd killed already.

I had a duty to these kids, to protect and fight for them. These soldiers were fighting to keep us oppressed, and not just us, but everyone who lived within these walls. As someone who fought for freedom, we were always meant to clash. This was nearly fate, honestly, or that's what it felt like, anyway.

I watched another soldier zip past underneath me, ignoring me completely and aiming to take Armin and Sasha by surprise as they worked to cover us with smoke signal flares and arrows. "Oh," I said dryly. "Excuse me."

They could ignore me all they wanted, I wasn't going to let the kids get hurt. And besides, I was not going to ignore them.

I dropped down, letting myself fall into the smoke. It was noiseless, but the soldier I was tailing closely now had felt the shift, had felt the presence of someone just behind him. He turned, fighting his fear as he shifted to fly backwards towards the entrance to the cavern. Dropping lower and into a thicker cloud of smoke, I could no longer see him, but I could still distinctly follow the sound of his gear.

Honestly, going just by sound was tricky. I perhaps should have offered myself more room, because even when I got ahead of him then shot myself upwards, finding myself just behind him, I found myself to be a bit too close, perhaps, because we bumped into each other.

With a startled cry from him and a suppressed shout from me, we fell to the ground below, each of us releasing bursts of gas to ease our respective descents. I eventually landed on my ass with a grunt, but was otherwise unharmed as I slid to a stop. The smoke here was like the smoke of a fire, as it rose above the floor; as such, I ducked underneath the thick cloud of smoke to see where my foe landed. Sure enough, he was only a few feet away, and was already scrambling to his feet.

"Oh, no," I hissed. "Don't you dare." Without wasting another moment, I reached into my boot and retrieved my knife as he broke into a sprint, hoping still to catch Armin and Sasha by surprise. I threw the blade from where I sat, and my aim was true - I caught him in the back and I heard the sickening crunch of the blade breaking through bone and tearing through skin from here.

The man, of course, stopped running, swaying in place for only a brief moment before collapsing to the floor. I got to my feet and ran to him, ripping the knife from his back and taking to the air once more.

"I'll be taking this back now," I said, flying towards the closest pillar. "And that makes thirty, by my count."

I could hear a loud, jubilant cheer, and I landed against a pillar, looking around confusedly for any sign of who it was. It was a voice I didn't recognize, deep and gruff yet mischievous, and, ah, that must be the source of the noise.

The culprit, as far as I could tell, was a large man, thin but muscled, wearing a hat that I was surprised he was even able to keep on despite the wild flight he was taking. He cheered once more, and now that I was witness to it, I knew I was right - and goodness, he was flying with such reckless abandon, as if everything going on was just a... a game for him.

That... Judging on context alone, that must've been Kenny.

Well, as Levi's fiancé, I decided I should go introduce myself to him. I mean, we didn't yet know how they were related, but obviously he and Mikasa were related, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Levi and Mikasa were related, too. Related how, I didn't know, but hell, I figured I should be a good sport about this.

And who knows? Maybe he'd even want an invitation to our wedding, if we chose to have one. I chased after him, dodging the falling bodies of other soldiers of his squad as they were cut down or were shot out of the air by the members of my own squad.

It appeared that Kenny was targeting Levi, and I slowed when I came to that realization. I  came to a stop with my back to a pillar and crouched on one of the wooden platforms that had been set up. It was wishful thinking to believe that Kenny only wanted to talk, I knew that, but it seemed that it was, at least, how he wanted to start, and so for now, I assumed he deserved the respect of being heard out - even if I wasn't the intended audience.

Alright, I thought as Kenny fired off a shot, maybe he doesn't want to talk.

Levi narrowly missed being shot as he swung behind a pillar, and the lump that had formed in my throat. Levi remained ducked behind the pillar, probably to catch his breath while Kenny came to rest against one nearby.

"Yo, Levi," I heard, and the voice alone sent a shiver down my spine. It was his words, simple though they were, that had goosebumps rising on my arms, for they were so forced, so cold, and directed at Levi, my betrothed, the man I wanted so dearly to protect.

"Not that I've got time to waste on you," Kenny continued, "but if you get past here, it'll all be for nothin'." Kenny reloaded his gun, a wicked, crooked smile on his face, and if I wasn't unnerved before, I certainly was, now. Levi remained silent, not playing into Kenny's antics, the mark of someone who was used to him and how he worked, I was sure.

"So be it," Kenny said decidedly. "Guess I'll have to play."

All at once, Kenny exploded into action, and I gulped down my fear as he swung around to where Levi was. I stayed put as the two both started to react to each other, and I was left wondering after who might prevail. Honestly, though I was not a betting woman, if I had to, I would have gladly put my money on Levi.

Still, I couldn't help but feel a twang of nervousness strike my chest. Levi had said himself that Kenny's skill was comparable to his own, but perhaps more so with the weapons he had.

"Neener, neener, neener," Kenny taunted, and I followed along, not daring to verbally remark on his childishness. If Levi really had been raised by Kenny, then how the hell...? Ah, never-mind. It wasn't my business. He just seemed so... childish. Still, Levi was quick to press the attack.

"You're a spunky one, damn," Kenny huffed irritably before firing off two shots towards Levi, who only barely dodged. My body twitched, ready and wanting to spring into action, but I hesitated. I didn't want to get in the way, but... goodness, it was difficult to. "Not sick of playing yet? Good grief."

Kenny swung around with speed I hadn't expected of him, which effectively and evidently had taken Levi by surprise, too.

"Didn't I teach you?" Kenny asked, his tone indicative of a clear rhetorical question. "When chasing an enemy, don't just stare straight ahead!" Kenny suddenly looked up at the platform I was on, and I found myself the sudden focus of a very dangerous, very angry, yet incredibly confident set of eyes - the look of a trained killer.

I ducked back, out of sight... though perhaps that was a mistake. He shot not at me, but at the platform, and I gasped, getting out of the way at the last second. I leapt off the platform, letting out a burst of gas in a hurried attempt to escape the falling debris. The explosion of wood and debris was so widespread that even Levi had to dodge the falling wood as he passed underneath.

Kenny watched me fumble, and he smirked - and I blanched as I locked eyes with him once more.

"Oh, who have we here?" He asked in a manner I assumed was meant to be playful, teasing, much like how a family member might playfully tease someone who was bringing their significant other home to meet the family for the first time. "You've got an observer, Levi."

Levi landed against one of the pillars, his eyes following Kenny's gaze. As soon as he saw me, his eyes widened, and his surprise showed through on his face clearly, but he worked quickly to hide it.

I latched onto a pillar as well and perched against it, taking the brief moment of reprieve to press a hand to my cheek. At some point amidst my flight, a lone piece of flying wood had cut me, and now, a thin line of blood ran down my face. It stung, but it was tolerable, at least for now.

"Gone and got yourself a little whore, have you?"

Why does everyone just assume I'm a... never-mind.

Levi's eyes met mine and I met his look evenly, trying to ignore Kenny's words. The look we shared was brief, but I got the message right away. We'd only met eyes for a precious few seconds, but his eyes alone had told me all he wanted to say. I understood what he was trying to say, so I nodded and paid Kenny no mind - I wouldn't allow myself to ruminate right now.

In his eyes was a demand to get away, to not engage. He could handle Kenny on his own, and though in any other instance I might argue, I could do nothing more but respect it right now. If he didn't want me to engage his relative, then I wouldn't.

Levi continued to pursue Kenny, and I didn't follow. Instead, I turned, opting to swing back towards the part of the cavern where I heard the sounds of more fighting. I made it just in time to see the kids all engaged in their own fights, and- oh, goddesses.

Hange fell from the air, rolling to a stop on the floor of the cavern, blood as dark as red wine trailing after their body and now that they were still, the blood began pooling beneath them. I came to a stop right away, looking down in horror at Hange's sickeningly still body.

"Hange!"