Levi was seated in the same table we sat in yesterday when I entered the cafeteria. It was no longer full of people, save for two men cleaning up the counter, the rest of the others must have gone about their way. I stretched and cracked my gloved knuckles. I had my usual attire on from the first day I got here. Since it was sunny for today, and winter was coming, I could take advantage and wear my red top and black tight shorts with my pink skirt now, I wouldn't be able to later on.. I made my way towards the silent man, my boots tapping against the floor as I approached him.

"Levi." I spoke out, standing beside him. He looked up curiously, with a cup of tea in hand. I smiled at him warmly. "Are you busy?"

He set the teacup down and clicked his tongue. "How many times must I say it? It's CORPORAL."

I frowned. "I forget...excuse me if your royal-ness gets offended by not being addressed properly." I half smirked when his eyes narrowed, no doubt tempted to talk back. Yet he didn't, he merely sighed tiredly.

"You're a fussy young woman, what do you want?" He muttered.

I smiled. "Walk with me to Petra's home, I want to see the sakura tree's before they dry out."

He paused for a while, face blank. He was unreadable. "Go by yourself, I don't want to be near her house." He murmured darkly, eyes hidden behind shadows. I gulped. Was I being too rash and selfish In asking? I didn't know what his relationship with Petra was like, but it was obvious her death hurt him, and he was in pain now. Bringing him to where her home was must have been too much. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in myself.

"Oh...sorry, I didn't want to go into her home or anything, just close enough to find the trees." I muttered, eyebrows scrunched up. His blank face faltered and his eyes widened.

"Stop that, don't frown." He brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and he sighed in irritation. " It can't be helped, you're a girl after all."

I frowned in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? I didn't want to force him into anything from empathy based compliance, but he didn't seem to catch my expression. He got up and straightened his cravat, eyeing my attire slyly. "Come on then."

I followed him outside into the bright sunlight and walked beside him as we made our way towards our destination. I studied his sunkissed face carefully. He didn't seem amused to be dragged into this. Still, it was a perfect opportunity to get to know him better and disclose. We took a lonely side path away from the town and headed towards a an open area. "Where does this lead to?" I asked, breaking the silence between us.

"Another town a bit separate from Trost, it's smaller and a lot quieter." He stated bluntly. I sighed. Getting him to talk a lot was going to be harder than I thought.

"I bet Petra liked it that way." I said, aiming a small smile his way. He didn't return it, just stared ahead blankly. I pouted and rose my hands to rest them over my head, my pink locks swayed slightly in the wind. "Have you always been this cold?"

He gave me a questioning glance. "Cold?"

"Yes cold, do you even know how to smile?"

He thought for a moment, and I could see the slightest of smirks. "I don't notice it, it's just the way I am, everyone is different."

I cocked my head to the side. "It wouldn't hurt to smile every once in a while, you surely must have been different as a kid, especially with your parents right?"

I could see his jaw tense. "I don't have parents."

I cringed. Maybe that was the wrong approach..."I'm sorry."

He gave a curt nod and we continued walking. "I wonder what my parents are doing right now, they are probably really worried." I said lowly.

"Do you feel homesick?" He asked lazily. I nodded.

"A bit, It's not so bad being here though."

He gave a dry small snicker. "Not bad? You do realize we are in a sealed in city with only two frail walls as protection, if they fall that's the end of humanity."

I pouted. "Yes I'm aware this is a post-apocolyptic world, but...the people here make it better, and so do you."

His eyebrow rose. "Me?"

I nodded. "We're friends right?" I asked hopefully. Maybe...he wasn't such a Sasuke clone. While he resembled him a lot, Levi was different...better.

He sighed. "Idiot...we aren't friends, I'm your superior." His hand rose to swipe his dark bangs back.

"We can be friends and professional comrades, you and Erwin seem close, he's your superior right?." I shot back.

"Erwin is different" he stated.

"Because he got you into the survey corps?"

He stopped mid stride and paused. "Who told you that?" He asked sternly.

I gulped. I didn't want to make Erwin look like a gossiper so I lied. "I overheard some people talking about you on my way to my room..."

He frowned. "He did...but it's more than that, a brat like you wouldn't understand." He continued walking, patting my head in the process.

"Arrghh! How many times do I have to tell you to stop that?!" I growled.

"We're even now, you call me by my professional title, I stop patting your head like the brat that you are."

I glared into his eyes. "Never!"

He snorted. "Then you will suffer multiple head ruffles." He stated. I pouted and crossed my arms. I may suffer his hand patting my head, but I would never give in to his demand to be addressed by his title. We continued walking for a good five minutes until we came across another path leading to a small village full of cottages. Levi pressed on, avoiding walking through the town and choosing instead to walk around it. I followed him eagerly.

"So...Erwin introduced you into the survey corps...you didn't have interest in it before?" I asked, walking towards a field of grass. I could see a blur of pink in the distance, the cherry blossom trees.

"Yeah, I have always wanted to join the survey corps, not because I had the desire to kill titans or anything, but because I wanted to be free, to see what it was like outside the walls." He murmured. He shut his eyes for a few seconds, probably reminiscing the past.

"Oh...well why did you wait for him to bring you in? You cold have joined on your own could you not?"

His eyes shot open then, jet black locks swayed as the wind kissed his face. Levi was flawless..."I would rather not talk about that."

"I see...you know, you kinda look beautiful." I blurted, then mentally kicked myself. Did that stupid sentence really come out of my mouth? He stared at me wide eyed. "Holy crap! I didn't mean anything by it! I-I-I don't even...I mean, hahahaha! Just kidding you look weird!"

He continued to stare. I wanted to slap myself, why was I acting like Armin? My face grew red as my heart sped up. "Right... I'm not the one with pink hair..." He murmured, eyes narrowed.

I bit my lip. "Forget I said that." What was wrong with me? I wasn't a shy person...and this man had me squirming in my seat. We got closer to the trees and I broke into a run, my black boots scraped against the grass as I quickly made my way there. The Sakura trees were a little dry, with millions of petals gracing the ground, blanketing the grass with a pretty pastel pink. I looked up at the few remaining flowers clinging to the tree and plucked one from a low branch. I smiled and held it between my fingers. It was lovely, I always did like the way these flowers looked. I looked up at Levi once I heard his footsteps coming closer. His eyes were slightly widened as he stared at my form. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Come here!" I hollered, putting the flower behind my ear. He obeyed and got closer as I plucked another from a nearby branch. I walked towards him and held his hand palm-up to put the flower into his hand. He stared down at it. "It's pretty right? My dad named me after these because he likes them so much."

He looked up into my eyes and nodded. "I would think he named you after a plant because of your hair."

My eyebrow twitched. "It's not a plant it's a flower smartass."

He sighed. "I know that, can I leave now? I have things to do."

"No way! Just sit down and relax! You'll be stressed out if you work without a break." I sat down on the pink-filled grass and patted the ground next to me. He complied, after hesitating to my demand, and sat down with his knees up, legs slightly spread. "Petra would have loved this...I wish she were here."

"Hn." Levi snorted, eyes closed. He leaned back to lay down with his back with his hands behind his head. I stared out into the grassy field.

"You know...Levi, Petra was going to ask you to be her lover, after we came from the mission..." I turned to his serene face. His eyes were still closed. "Well?" I asked.

"Well what? I already knew, it's so obvious a dumb titan can tell."

I frowned. "What would you have said? Would you have accepted?"

He stayed quiet for a moment before opening his eyes and responding. "No."

I was surprised by the level of his cold bluntness. "No? Why?"

"Because I don't want to have a family in a fucked up world like this, I know that the walls will break down one day, and I am prepared to die with no regrets, If I have someone I care for, how can I fight and prepare to die with no regrets?"

I stayed silent, stunned by his hard philosophy. "But...you can't be truly happy if you're always alone."

He sighed and sat up. "Sakura, it's not about being happy, not anymore, it's about survival, to survive, you can't have emotions or personal feelings towards anyone, you fight or die, that's how it is."

I slumped my shoulders. Perhaps it was a good thing Petra didn't get to confess to him. She would only suffer a heartbreak. "You will never know the true meaning of happiness until you've found someone to love and to receive love back from, Eren and I are here now, you don't have to worry about becoming extinct, perhaps it's time you finally changed your outlook on life?"

He stayed silent, thoughtful for a moment. "When you've lived your whole life alone with no resolve except to steal to live, it's hard to change that kind of outlook in life." He stared into my green orbs. "You remind me of someone I once knew long ago..."

I played with the petals of a fallen cherry blossom flower silently. "You lived in the streets...why" It was more of a statement than a question.

"That's none of your business." He cut me off. I frowned. It seemed he wasn't going to talk about himself no matter what.

"Fine." I grumbled. He looked me in the eye and sighed.

"I don't have anyone, and my team mates fell to the hands of that titan bitch, so you see brat, life isn't all fine and dandy."

I cringed at his foul mouth. Levi lost what few friends he had. Did he feel alone? He was like Naruto in the aspect, and like Sasuke before he became a traitorous asshole. I stared at him, wide eyed, with a bubble of feelings rising in my throat. He backed off a little. "What?" He asked, no doubt weirded out. I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his form. He gave a surprise yelp as he hit the floor with me in tow. "What are you doing? Brat! Get off!" He stated with a dark expression.

"Don't feel like that! Don't resign as captain corporal! Eren and I are here, you still have friends see? I'm sorry i have been a selfish brat to you, I had no idea... " I sniffed, squeezing my eyes shut. I was a total selfish loser to Naruto in the past, not recognizing how awful his life had been, I couldn't do that again...Levi grumbled under his breath, squirming under me.

"Get off..." He mumbled. I did as he requested and sat up, watching him get up and dust himself off. "You don't have to apologize, didn't I say I didn't care if you hated me? What happened... happened, it's all in the past, why are you getting so touchy-feely?" He grumbled, frowning down at me. I stood up quickly.

"Because...it's not fair, even you deserve to be loved." I said smiling.

His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by even?" He said suspiciously.

I gave him a huge grin. "You may be an abusive head stomping, stomach kicking, unemotional bastard but I can learn to like you."

His face fell, and he looked...serene. "I'm sorry about that, you got in the way..." He murmured, and he sounded like he meant it. He reached to pat my head. "If it makes you feel better, you are quite beautiful yourself brat."

My heart skipped a beat. Did he...really say that? Levi? I could feel a faint blush creep along my cheeks. "T-thank...you..." I whispered. He nodded and looked around our surroundings.

"I should head back, are you going to stay here?" He asked. I nodded, heart still racing. "Very well then, I think you can find your way back to headquarters, I'll see you later." I watched as his form retreated from the tree, his hair swayed with the wind. I sat down heavily, thinking about those words he said. I groaned and lay back down on the pink-splattered grass.

"Idiot." I muttered. "Why did he have to say that..."

...

I couldn't concentrate on my scroll. It was already night time and I was still up with the lamp light on, writing the necessary symbols for object transportation. Eren was still asleep. Jeez, he has been that way the whole day...I gave up after a while and rolled it, putting the contents into my drawer. I reached for the lamp light and turned it off, making the room dark. I stretched and rolled my sheets into the shape of a human. I lay on my side and wrapped my legs around the lump and threw my arm over it. Since I wore Armins shorts, It felt nice to have my bare legs touch the coldness of the sheets. I shut my eyes and concentrated on sleep. I ate before I decided to go to bed, after being reminded by Ymir of our plans tomorrow, so I didn't have to sneak off to eat. My mind swirled with different thoughts. Levi's face came to mind, the way his sunkissed face shone brightly as he held me in his arms when cutting me out from my titan form. His closed lips, his sharp eyes, his raven black hair...The image kept repeating itself in my head. Over and over...I tossed and turned and tried to think of something else. I began to count sheep, and got to twelve before Levi's voice took over.

'you are quite beautiful'

'you are quite beautiful'

'you are quite beautiful'

'you are quite beautiful'

I sat up quickly, pressing my pillow to my head. "Aaaarrghhh!" I groaned. Why was I feeling this way? This wasn't like me! What was wrong with me? I felt sick...and my stomach felt funny. Maybe I was still hungry? Yes...food could help me get rid of this awful feeling. I climbed out of bed and tiptoed out the door, leaving it slightly ajar. I stared at the dark hallway. Now was the time to transform before I got caught. I contemplated my choices. I couldn't impersonate Levi, he was the one I was trying to get rid of from my damn thoughts. Erwin...yeah, he was the head commander after all. I used the hand signs for the jutsu and transformed into the tall blonde with his scouting legion uniform as smoke swept past me. I hurried over to my destination, my feet echoed across the hall as I made my way towards the cafeteria. My mind was still swirling with thoughts of the dark haired man... much to my dismay. Seriously...what was happening to me?

I scanned the empty cafe as I entered it. No one was here, good. I made my way around the tables and into the short hallway that led to the fridges. I could see light up ahead and I sighed. Sasha was scavenging again...I moved quickly, not bothering to mask my footsteps as I turned the corner, Eyeing the brown haired girl as she dug around. I waited for her to notice me and cleared my throat when I noticed she didn't. Sasha stared up at me, wide eyed and scared.

"C-C...E-Erwin! I can explain!" She squealed, hands up as if I had a gun in hand.

"Shhhh!" I hushed her. I crouched to grab an apple and banana. "You'll wake people up." I mouthed at her. She gawked at me in disbelief.

"Uh...huh?"

I half smiled. "Sasha...I think something is wrong with me...I'm thinking too much about something and I feel sick, what does that mean?" I asked a little helplessly, ruffling my hair with a large hand.

She didn't respond right away, she continued to stare for a good minute. "Are you real?" She said flatly. "Maybe i'm hallucinating and going crazy..."

I sighed. "Nevermind, I'm going back to bed to eat these...goodnight." I muttered then smirked. "Yes...you are hallucinating vividly, poor Sasha i'm afraid your going mad, this isn't happening...and it never did." I stated in an ominous voice, waving my hands around for effect. She blinked, looking stupified. Content, I bowed to her and twirled in a ballerina-like dance. I changed my voice to sound like a high-pitched females tone. "My crazy darling...this is the the time we must depart, my good friend awaits me for my tutu sessions, until then...oh and if you ever mention this to me tomorrow or any other day, you will die, goodnight." I waved at her, biting my tongue to keep from laughing at her priceless expression as I departed. yes, this would definitely help me forget about Levi for the night.