FIVE
a strong foundation

     SWEAT BEADED ON VALOR'S FOREHEAD, blonde hair wet and sticking to her skin. She held her fists in front of her, one close to her face and the other in front of her farther, gripping a sharp knife. She was breathing heavily, studying the man in front of her, trying to anticipate his every move.

     He lunged at her, twirling his knife before swinging it at her. She dodged it, the weapon barely missing the junction of her neck and shoulder. She hit his extended bicep with her forearm, bringing her free arm forward and throwing a punch. He blocked it, bringing his leg up and kicking her square in the stomach. She flew backward, arms flailing in front of her as she hit the dry ground. A grunt left her mouth as she landed on her back, knocking the air out of her lungs.

     The blonde's chest heaved, head resting on the solid ground below her. She cleared her throat, nose twitching as dust settled around her, disturbed by her hard fall. She blinked, eyes focusing on a hand outstretched in front of her.

     "Get off the ground, it's filthy." Levi chastised the girl, and she huffed, shaking her head as she took his hand.

     "Well, I wouldn't have been on the ground in the first place if someone hadn't kicked the shit out of me."

     "Told you I wasn't going to go easy on you."

     "I didn't ask to train with you in the first place!" She laughed, looking at him with a twinkle in her eye. As much as she complained about the training sessions Levi did with her at the crack of dawn, she enjoyed spending the time with him and she knew it was helping. "I almost got you that time." She grinned, brushing her uniform off. He let out a soft 'hmph', but she could tell by his expression that he wasn't annoyed.

     "You are improving. That's the longest we've ever sparred for." He begrudgingly agreed with her, and she raised a fist in the air.

     "Hell yeah!" Levi could've laughed at the sight of her. Soaked with sweat, battered and bruised, legs about to give out underneath her, and coated in dusty dirt, she looked like she'd just won the lottery.

     "You didn't win, Valor." He reminded her, and she nodded.

     "I know. But I'm getting there." She grinned, arms dropping to her sides. "What now?" She asked, still breathing irregularly, and Levi raised an eyebrow.

     "Laps. You did well in hand to hand combat today; we'll leave it there." He saw her eyes light up and couldn't help the warm feeling that bloomed in his chest. They'd been training together for more than three months now, every morning unless they had the day off, and even then, they usually both found themselves together. Valor had improved leaps and bounds since she'd started training with Levi, and that was saying something, as she was an extremely skilled soldier before. She hadn't yet won in hand to hand combat with the Ackerman, but she could feel herself growing tougher with every training session. The sparring session had lasted fifteen minutes before Levi had knocked her to the ground, and she couldn't help but feel impressed with herself.

     While she hadn't outright asked Levi to train with her, it was more than obvious she wanted him to. After her first expedition outside the walls, she realized being a Scout was more grueling than she had originally thought.

     It was the first time she'd ever seen a Titan. A real, live, flesh eating, murderous Titan, right in front of her. Its teeth were stained red from the blood of her comrades, curled into a permanent smile. It wasn't taller than eleven meters, with greasy black hair and long fingernails. It was the most disgusting thing she'd ever seen in her life. And the scariest.

     Valor had always told herself that the first time she saw a Titan in the flesh, she'd shred it to ribbons. She'd make the first kill her most impressive, start her career off right. She'd avenge the soldiers before her who'd sacrificed their lives for her to be in the position she was in, and protect the citizens who lived inside the walls. She'd dedicate her heart and soul, she had always promised that to herself.

     But the first time she'd ever seen a real Titan in the flesh, Valor froze. The reigns of the tan and white horse, Lydon, went limp in her grip, and her blue eyes widened like saucers. It was terrifying.

     The only thing that had snapped her out of her temporary paralysis were the pained screams of her fellow recruits. The sight of the soldiers she'd spent the past two years with in the jaws of hungry Titans was enough to light a fire inside of her, chopping three Titans into tiny pieces in the matter of minutes.

     Valor knew she had gotten lucky that day. If she had hesitated a second longer she could have been among the casualties, just another number to the higher ups. She never wanted to be in that position again.

     She wasn't stupid; she knew she was inexperienced, and new to the Scouts. But she wanted to prove that she wasn't expendable, wasn't just another number, to everyone. To the Premier, to the Commander, the Captain, her fellow Scouts and even to herself.

     And so, she found herself doing more physical activity than required, running laps around HQ with her Captain. She was determined to do better, to own up to her mistakes and be the best soldier she could be.

     She would do it, if it was the last thing she ever did.

     Valor sat in the mess hall, Mio and Kaede on either side of her. The conversing between soldiers wasn't louder than a dull roar, though Valor wouldn't have cared either way. She picked at her food, lost in her own thoughts as her friends conversed with other new recruits. The blonde was so wrapped up in her own thoughts she didn't notice her friends staring at her with weird looks on their faces. Kaede snapped right next to her ear and furrowed her brows at the lack of reaction. She looked over at Mio and shrugged in a 'go ahead' fashion. He smirked and curled his hand into a fist, knocking her on the top of her head.

     Valor quickly looked over at her brown eyed friend, giving him a death glare as she rubbed the top of her head. "Asshole, that hurt! You'll give me a bruise." She muttered, smoothing her hair before looking back down at her food. Mio rolled his eyes, propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand.

     "Well, my apologies poor Valor, but you were in La La land. You weren't listening at all." He scoffed, and Valor sighed, an irritated look in her eye.

     "What do you want." She deadpanned, and Kaede laughed shortly.

     "Put the teeth away, killer. We were just asking what you were thinking so hard about." She butted in, signature smirk on her face. Valor chewed on the inside of her cheek, sighing through her nose.

     "I'm going home for a few days. It's about time I go and visit Armin." She said quietly, and Kaede smiled brightly.

     "That sounds awesome!" She said enthusiastically, chowing down on a half a loaf of bread. Mio nodded in agreement, looking down at Valor with a teasing look in his eye.

     "Yeah, Val, it's not like you don't talk about the little monster all the time or anything." He joked, bumping her shoulder with his own. She rolled her eyes, but there was a small sparkle in her eye.

     "I miss the kid. It's been too long." She hummed, picking up her fork and chewing on the bland food in front of her.

     Levi sat down a few tables away from the trio, having heard most of the conversation as he passed by them. Valor had told him quite a bit about her home life during their training sessions- often times they did more talking than training, not that the raven haired man minded. He would never admit it, but he took any excuse he could come up with to talk to Valor. He enjoyed the girls company, and couldn't help but feel a bit foolish with how smitten he was.

     He was curious about the girls home life. She had a younger brother she adored, he knew, but Levi couldn't help but want to know more. What was her favorite shop in town? Where did she go to cool off after a fight with a close friend or her parents? Would he ever get to see the place she grew up in?

Hange had noticed the change in their friends behavior. Levi had been much more... relaxed, since he had met Valor. They saw that the blonde girl soothed Levi's fiery temper, which everyone in the Scouts seemed grateful for. They knew better than to tease the short man, though; Levi was sensitive when it came to feelings, and Hange wanted him to be happy more than anything. Besides, they really liked Valor- and maybe her cute friend Kaede, too.

     Levi wasn't one to fall so easily. He was a reserved person, a bit coarse and hotheaded, but deep, deep, deep down, he was a very caring person. He'd gone through a lot to cause him to be the way he was. Seeing him open up so willingly to someone who was basically a stranger was new, and Hange was surprised by it. They couldn't help but wonder, what made Valor so special to the cold Captain?

Before long, all of the soldiers began to dispose of their plates and exit the mess hall, Valor being one of the first to do so. Her blonde hair, long as ever, was like a curtain down her back, reaching the middle of her spine. Levi couldn't help but watch her walk away, leaving the mess hall so quietly no one would have noticed if they weren't looking, like him. He always seemed to find himself looking for her.

Mio and Kaede excused themselves to talk to some of the other recruits, and Valor waved them off with a small smile, taking her usual seat on the porch of the barracks. They were located not too far from HQ, not too far from anywhere that mattered, really. The little cabin in the woods was long gone now, used only for recon missions and things like it.

     She sat with her legs criss-crossed underneath her, back straight as she enjoyed the peaceful silence of dusk. Everyone else was busy, either in their offices or barracks, training on the other side of HQ or off with other recruits somewhere. Everyone except her.

     And Levi. She couldn't miss the sound of his boots meeting wood planks beneath them, his steps soft and graceful. She couldn't help the small smile that grew on her face. She'd grown fond of the quiet Captain in her few months with the Scouts, and, though it was hard to notice at first, she knew he'd grown fond of her, too.

     He took a seat next to her, the slight breeze making short strands of raven hair move around his face. She didn't spare him a glance, instead humming in acknowledgement. "Do you have family, Levi?" She asked, realizing she'd never asked him that before. It was surprising, really, with how much she talked about her own family, that she had never thought to ask him about his. He tended from beside her, swallowing quietly.

"No." He answered shortly, and Valor knew not to press the subject. She nodded, feeling a bit guilty. She should've known not to ask. He had never brought it up before- she should have realized. Levi let out a soft 'tch' from beside her, rolling his eyes as he glanced at her from the side. "Don't piss yourself, Arlert. You didn't do anything wrong." Valor was able to read Levi like the back of her hand from the start, but that wasn't to say Levi hadn't learned to read her as well. She chuckled, nodding.

"I'm going to visit my brother in Shiganshina. I'll be gone for a few days. It's been too long- he's almost ten years old now. I miss him, and his little friend, Eren. He was always like my other little brother. I've heard the Yeager's took in a young girl, too, around their age. I'd like to meet her as well." She spoke softly, her voice like honey as she spoke to him. Levi simply nodded, not interrupting her. He liked listening to her talk.

He knew more about Valor than he did about any other person, and he could say the same for her. He knew her favorite color, how she took her tea- with two sugar cubes and a slice of lemon, always- her favorite star, her childhood best friend, all of the little details almost no one else knew. She knew his favorite kind of tea, his biggest fears, his horses name, and he'd even told her a bit about Isabel and Farlan.

     The little voice in the back of his head reminded him why she knew so much, reminded him of how cowardly he was being. How he was dismissing the feelings he had for Valor and settling for friendship. But Levi would rather have Valor as a friend than possibly not have her at all.

     So instead of leaning forward and kissing her like he wanted to, he nodded and half listened to her talk about home, half admired her pretty eyes and sharp jaw.

     Yes. Having her like this was better than not having her at all, he decided in his mind.

Valor took a deep breath, clutching her green bag tightly before stepping off the ferry. She was home; what a feeling, to be home again after so long. She walked into a crowd of people, citizens seeming to move around her like water as she wandered down the street. Deja vu washed over her, a cold, shocking sensation. She was home, for the first time in a long time, and she was scared. Why, exactly, she wasn't sure; maybe she feared seeing how much her family had changed, or them seeing how much she'd changed herself. Maybe she was scared they'd forgotten all about her. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, walking down the crowded streets mindlessly. She remembered the way home perfectly; she'd never be able to forget it.

     It was odd, but the district still smelt the same; like fresh baked bread, dust, and fresh leather. It was comforting to know that something was still the same. Shiganshina was the kind of place that never changed, and Valor selfishly hoped it would always stay that way.

Before she knew it, she was standing on the doorstep of her childhood home. The last time she was there she was a few inches shorter, with soft hands and less scars, innocence and arrogance still shining brightly in her eyes. The last time she was there she was sixteen, just a kid.

She stood a new woman. Taller, with longer hair and stronger muscles, the prideful look in her eye gone and replaced with one wise beyond her years. She was eighteen, almost nineteen now, close to three years older than she was the last time she was home.

     With a deep breath and a clenched fist, she knocked on the door in front of her. She was home.

     Her mother answered the door, and Valor could see her father and grandfather sitting at the dining table over her shoulder. Before she knew it, her mother's arms squeezed her tightly, tears staining Valor's cloak. She pulled her inside the house, her father and grandfather now standing, waiting to greet her.

     After a few tears and long embraces, Valor sat at the dining table, a cup of tea in front of her. She stirred it absentmindedly, waiting for Armin to get home to greet him. Her grandfather told her he was out with Eren and Mikasa, the little girl the Jeager's had taken in. She tried to control the shaking of her hands. She was nervous to come home in general, but she was most nervous to see Armin again. What if he didn't recognize her? What if things were different? What if he resented her for leaving him? So many possibilities ran through Valors mind, and she began to doubt if she could face her brother after being away for so long.

     The front door swung open and her gaze quickly landed on Armin. He had his back to her, arms full of books and struggling to shut and lock the door himself. The sun was beginning to set behind the walls, sky a pink-orange around them, seeping through the windows of her home. Armin was rambling about something to his mom, but Valor wasn't really listening.

     He was taller; that was the first thing she noticed. His hair was still long, and he was still a chatterbox, but she could already see how much he'd grown.

      "Mom are you even listening?" He called out, exasperated as he turned. The second his eyes landed on Valor he grew silent. His jaw was dropped, and he seemed to be frozen in place at the sight of her. The older of the two swallowed hard, glancing down at her tea before looking back up at him.

     "Hi, little brother." The second she got the words out he was running towards her. She had barely stood up all the way when he dropped his books and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"You're here." He was breathless, squeezing her cloak tightly, trying to convince himself it was real, that she wasn't a figment of his imagination; she was home.

Valor wrapped an arm around him, the other resting on the top of his shaggy blonde hair. "I'm here, Armin. I'm home."