The Path Back to You | Levi x OC

Chapter 13 - Bravery

Anastasya

Anya frowned at the little dark-haired girl sitting crying in the street next to the canal. Her only company seemed to be the dust-covered teddy bear that she clutched tight to her chest with soot-smudged hands, and her expensive-looking dress was torn in several places. Anya glanced around to see if anyone was looking after her, but the citizens of Stohess were in such disarray that it seemed as though no-one had even noticed the girl. She couldn't have been any more than eight years old, and Anya was suddenly struck by how much the girl reminded her of herself when she'd been a child. She, too, had gone to the canal to cry, albeit it in a different city. She slowly walked over and crouched down in front of her. The girl swallowed back another sob, and Anya smiled and offered her a handkerchief, which she hesitantly took.
"What's your name?" she asked gently.
"Vic-Victoria," she sniffled.
"Victoria. It's a strong, beautiful name."
"What-what's your name?"
"Anastasya, but only one of my friends and the people who don't know me well call me that. To everyone else, I'm just Anya."
"Pretty."
"You think so? I've never been sure about it myself. Victoria, where are your parents?"
"I don't know," she said, her eyes welling with fresh tears. "When the scary monsters came, I lost my mummy. We were by the church and one of the monsters crushed it like a dollhouse! I got lost in the crowd and came here."
"What's your surname, Victoria?"
"Alstein."
"Is it just you and your mum, or do you have other family?"
"No, just me and mummy."
"All right," she said, straightening up. "I'm going to see if I can find her for you."
"Wait! Don't leave me on my own!"
Victoria scrambled to her feet, desperation written all over her face. She hesitated. If they came across her mother's corpse, the kid would be scarred for life. However, if she left her where she was, she might be swept up in the chaos and it would be nigh on impossible to find her again, and if anything had happened to her mother...who knew where she would end up.
"If you come with me, you have to be brave, Victoria. We might see things that aren't very nice."
To her credit, the girl swiped the tears from her eyes and set her face into a determined expression.
"Understood!" she said. "Theo is coming, too!"
"...Theo?"
"My teddy!"
"Ah, I see. That's very courageous of Theo," she replied, biting back a sad smile. "Come on and hold my hand so we don't get separated."
"Hey, Anya, why were there Titans here?" she asked, as they walked through the ruined streets.
"Hmm. One of those Titans is our friend."
"Eh?! I thought they wanted to eat us!"
"Most of them do, but this one is different. He actually hates Titans as much as we do, and he wants to protect us. When the Female Titan turned up, our friendly Titan tried to stop her, but unfortunately that meant Stohess was badly damaged and a lot of people got very hurt."
"Oh... I see," she said, her brow creased in thought. "Why do Titans want to eat us?"
"We don't know."
Victoria fell silent for a moment, and they passed one of the first wagons of corpses. She prayed the girl was too short to see inside.
"Anya, what are all those things you're wearing?"
"You mean these belts and straps? It's my omni-directional mobility gear."
"What's that?"
"It allows me to move in lots of different directions so that I can kill Titans more easily."
"You kill Titans?!"
"Yeah. I'm in the Scout Regiment."
"Wow! I wanna be in the Scout Regiment, too!"
She hid her grimace.
"You've got a fair few years before you can join, yet. Hey, what's your mummy's name?"
"Alberta. I really hope we find her!"
"Me too, kid," she murmured.
They arrived at the church, which had been smashed to bits, and around which were the scattered bodies of the dead and injured. Recruits in the Military Police were trying to identify the corpses and help those still clinging to life, and she dared walk over with Victoria in tow, who had gone very, very quiet.
"Excuse me," she said. "Have you come across a woman called Alberta Alstein?"
The young, female soldier immediately eyed her ODM gear with disdain. She had mousy brown hair and pale green eyes, and she seemed...angry.
"Scout, are you?" she asked.
"Yeah," she said, suddenly remembering that she wasn't wearing her jacket.
To some people, she might just look like a random civilian who'd managed to obtain some ODM equipment. It wasn't an ideal position to be in.
"You realise this is all your fault?"
Before she could reply, Victoria spoke up.
"No it isn't! Anya is nice, and she kills Titans! It's the Female Titan's fault!"
"You're even trying to recruit kids now, huh? You-"
"Listen, rookie," she said, finally beginning to lose her temper. "I don't care what you think of me or of the Scouts, but the fact of the matter is, I outrank you. Show some respect or I'll make sure to let Commander Dok know about your insubordination."
The young recruit was rendered speechless, and she allowed herself to take grim satisfaction in it.
"Now, are you going to tell me if you've got Alberta Alstein on that list of yours, or do I have to order you? This little girl is looking for her mother in all this mess."
The recruit flinched, then searched the list attached to the clipboard she was holding.
"She's not here," she announced.
"What-"
"Mummy!"
Victoria wrenched herself free of Anya's grasp and ran over to kneel in the dust and rubble.
"Oh, shit," she breathed.
She exchanged a glance with the recruit, and they both walked over. Alberta Alstein lie half-crushed by a huge stone slab, one side of which was coated in thick, dark blood. From the pallor of her skin and her laboured breathing, she wasn't long for the world.
"Get some soldiers to see if we can move it," Anya ordered. "What's your name, by the way?"
"Private Hitch Dreyse."
"Hurry, Private Hitch."
Hitch nodded sombrely before jogging off, and Anya knelt next to Victoria, who was crying again.
"Ah...you have...Theo with you..." Alberta gasped, eyeing the brown bear.
"Yes, mummy. He didn't get hurt."
"Oh, I...I'm so relieved."
"Mummy, I made a new friend! This is Anya."
Anya's eyes widened, and she met the dull gaze of Alberta.
"Nice to...meet you...Anya."
"And you, Ms Alstein. You have a very brave little girl."
"I...Thank you..."
"We're going to get this thing off you, and then a doctor will-"
"No...no time," said wheezed. "Victoria...Hayley will...she will look after you."
"Mummy, I want you to look after me! Mummy don't leave me! Don't leave me all alone!" she wailed.
"Victoria, you have to be strong for your mummy. You can do that, right?" Anya said, almost choking on her own sorrow.
"I...I can..."
"That's my...good...girl. I love you...Victoria..."
"I love you too, mummy! Mummy?!"
The last breath rattled from Alberta's throat, and then she was gone. Victoria screamed, and Anya shut her eyes for a second, fighting back tears.
"We're here!" Hitch announced, though her determination quickly fizzled out when she realised it was too late.
"Victoria..." Anya tried, though the girl was utterly unreachable.
Hitch hung her head, and Anya knew precisely how she felt.
"Victoria!"
They turned to see a middle-aged woman with pale brown hair running towards them. Victoria looked up from where she had buried her face into the curve of her mother's neck.
"Hayley!" she cried, scrambling to her feet.
Hayley grabbed her and held her tight, and Anya at last stood up.
"Hayley... You know the Alstein family?"
"Yes, I... I was Alberta's best friend," she said, eyeing the woman's body sadly. "I will raise Victoria as though she were my own. I swear it."
Anya turned to Hitch.
"I don't know how things work in Stohess, but I imagine there's some paperwork to be filled out. It shouldn't be a problem, though," she added.
"I understand," Hayley replied. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it."
"I'll leave it with you, then," she told Hitch.
She turned to leave, but Victoria ran over to her again.
"Anya...thank you for helping me find my mummy," she whispered, her face bright red and stained with tears, more of which were already falling. "Do you want your hankie back?"
"No, it's okay; keep it. Remember to be strong and brave, okay? Like your mummy wanted."
"Y-yes. I will..."
She ruffled her hair, then walked away into the destruction once more.

***

Levi

Levi glared at the crystal-encased Military Police recruit with his arms folded. He saw his own murderous expression reflected back at him, and if anything, it only worsened his mood. What the hell had they just done? Trashed a city and killed over a hundred people, and for what? He looked up as Anya made her way down the stairs. She was covered with dust and grime, the only clear skin being where her tears had forged silver pathways down her fair cheeks. She dropped into the chair opposite Annie and released a heavy sigh. He wordlessly reached into his pocket for his handkerchief and passed it to her.
"Thanks," she said.
"Where's yours?"
"Gave it to a little girl."
It never ceased to amaze him how much she forced herself to suffer. Whilst Erwin pretended that he wasn't really affected by loss, claiming that it was all in the name of humanity, and he himself tried to trick himself into seeming cold and uncaring, Anya actively made herself face the consequences of their actions. It was something he both admired and disliked about her; it made her the most openly caring one of them all, which they needed, but he hated seeing her so upset.
"So?" he asked, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.
"It's shit. A little girl just watched her only parent die right in front of her. Buildings are destroyed, kids are missing, people are injured, corpses are everywhere. And after all that, this bitch won't talk," she said, suddenly jumping up and pressing her face to the crystal, furious. "I know you can hear me. Not so vicious and powerful now, are you? Sixteen and already responsible for the deaths of over one hundred people. May their faces and screams haunt you for the rest of your life."
He was almost surprised at the venom in her voice, and he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Let's go," he said. "Don't let yourself get worked up about it all."
"Easier said than done," she replied.
Unfortunately, he knew exactly what she meant.