Levi
The Scout Regiment arrived in Ehrmich district and wasted no time in preparing themselves for whatever horrors they were about to encounter within Wall Rose. However, while Hange and the brats went on ahead to go over the plan, Levi and Anya escorted Nick through the dim, crowded streets, watching closely for any indication that he was about to bolt. Levi suspected that Anya finally wanted a moment alone with him, considering the fact that they were about to be separated for who knew how long, but he wasn't sure they'd get that chance now, especially not if he was to continue babysitting the cowardly pastor. He glanced at her and saw a strange mixture of what appeared to be fear and excitement playing across her elegant features, and for once, he had no idea of what was truly going on in her mind. Just as he was about to speak, Pastor Nick stopped a little way in front of them, midway down the stairs, and gazed out at the sea of desperate evacuees as they flooded into the district, crying and terrified. There must have been hundreds, if not thousands of people, many of them fiercely clutching whatever meagre belongings they'd managed to grab before having to up and leave their entire lives behind, all to escape the disgusting, slavering maws of the pursuing Titans. Levi glowered and kicked him, just enough to make the pastor stumble forward a few steps.
"Hey, keep moving," he growled. "You'll end up like a little lost kid."
"Th-this is..." Nick trailed off, horrified.
"What, exactly, did you expect?" Anya asked, her voice like ice. "This is what happens when a wall is breached."
A child screamed out for his parents, and Nick made as if to turn and walk away, unable to handle the desperate, claustrophobic situation all around him. Levi, however, placed a hand firmly on his shoulder, and Anya glared, appalled.
"Hey. Where do you think you're going? Take a good look at the faces of people who've lost everything," he said. "The faces of everyone you and your people abandoned. If your church's wish comes true, and Titans come flooding through the walls, we'll all be gobbled up in their stinking mouths and die in the most miserable way possible. All of humanity, digested as one."
He took grim pleasure from Nick's reaction as he trembled in front of them. Anya leaned forward to murmur into his ear.
"Let's hurry this up; time's ticking, and I have to leave soon."
He glanced back at her and nodded.
"Move," he ordered, shoving Nick through the throng and into the main plaza. As they were making their way through all of the soldiers busy readying supplies, Hange spotted them and came over, brandishing a clipboard in one of her hands. Behind her stood Moblit, Eren, Mikasa and Armin.
"Have you had a change of heart yet?" she asked Nick. When he didn't reply, she got in his face and raised her voice. "We don't have time for this! You know, don't you?! Will you talk or won't you?! Make up your mind already!"
"I cannot say anything," he replied, at least having the decency to look ashamed. "The other believers are the same as I, and that will never change."
"Well thanks for nothing!" she shouted. "We're so grateful for all the help you've been!"
Hange turned to leave, but Nick spoke again.
"It's too great a decision for a single person to make. The Order of the Walls must always adhere to the sacred will we're bound to obey."
"Whose will?" asked Anya, speaking up from beside Levi.
Nick jumped and took a step away from her. For whatever reason, Anya seemed to disturb him even more than Levi and his pistol. When they had time, he fully intended to find out why.
"Do you mean God or something?" asked Hange, still pressing for answers.
"I-I cannot say anything. However, I can inform you of a name, who under their sacred will, we were instructed to monitor."
"Monitor?"
He regarded Anya for a moment, and then continued.
"That person joined the Scout Regiment as of this year. Their name is..."
At that moment, Sasha Braus burst in, carrying a scroll and frantically trying to get someone's attention. Everyone save for Levi and Anya ignored her as Nick spilled the all-important information.
"Christa Lenz."
Anya raised her eyebrows at the name, and then strode over to put Sasha out of her misery whilst Eren, Mikasa and Armin reacted to the revelation. Christa was one of their comrades. From what Levi could recall, she was a very short, blonde-haired girl, and nothing spectacular when it came to combat.
"Only she...she may know the truths that not even we can perceive," said Nick. "That is all the information I can share. The rest I leave in your hands."
"If she's in the 104th, then she's deep in the front lines right now," said Hange, tossing a baked potato to Sasha by way of thanks.
"Let's go! We have to hurry!" Eren exclaimed, stupidly crashing straight into Sasha, who held on defensively to her newly-acquired food.
Levi rolled his eyes and then watched the frown form upon Anya's face as she read the report that Erwin had no doubt sent. He got closer and skim-read it from over her shoulder. It was Annie Leonhart's background report, according to which there were two other recruits in the Scout Regiment who had come from the same area as her; Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. Thanks to the chaos five years ago, pretty much all of their family records were severely lacking information or missing completely. Levi knew that Erwin had been suspicious of a few recruits ever since the Titans they'd captured for experiments had been killed. Maybe even before that. After all, his friend was by no means a fool. He had deliberately given certain soldiers in the formation for the 57th Expedition false intel, leading them to believe that Eren was in the right wing, which was where the Female Titan had coincidentally attacked first. Somehow, she had known to go straight there, revealing that there was at least one other traitor among them.
"Hange," said Anya, handing her the scroll.
Hange read the information too and then looked at Anya and Levi with wide eyes. Anya nodded, and they called the team to gather round so as to update them. After hearing what the recruits had to say about Reiner and Bertholdt, it was seeming more and more likely that they might be Titans, too. One particularly compelling piece of evidence was the fact that not only had Reiner persistently wanted to know where Eren was throughout the 57th Expedition, but that he had also somehow escaped the Female Titan's grasp only for her to then rush straight to the centre of the formation after Armin had mentioned to Reiner that Eren might be there. Despite the strong case against the two recruits, Eren, as ever, was in denial, much to Levi's irritation.
"If we encounter Reiner and Bertholdt, act in such a way so as not to reveal any suspicions," Hange told them all.
"Don't make any mention of Annie Leonhart, either," Anya added. "Regardless of if they're Annie's accomplices or not, we need to lead them deep underground and confine them, and telling them that that's where Annie has ended up won't do us any favours."
Levi brooded and half-listened a little way away, keeping one eye on Nick, the other on Anya and the rest of the group as they discussed the best course of action.
"Everyone understand?" Hange asked, soon straightening up from the table, eager to get going.
"Yes!" the soldiers chorused.
Eren broke away, heading for the gate already.
"We've got to go!"
"Calm down, Eren," Levi said, grabbing him by the shoulder.
He was becoming fed up with the brat's tendency to overreact. He was already frustrated enough by the fact that he couldn't go along with them, on top of being desperately worried for Anya, and it had all just been made worse by the prospect that she may well face the Armoured Titan and the Colossal Titan without him. He didn't need Eren's impatience getting her hurt.
Or worse.
"You all listen, too," he added, looking at the others. "We're going our own ways, now. The rest is up to you. Erwin may have thrown together your squad, but everything's riding on you. Got it, Armin? Work with Anya and Hange and combine your knowledge."
"Y-yes Sir!" Armin replied.
"Mikasa. I don't know why you're so attached to Eren, but...use the utmost of your ability to protect him at all costs."
"Yes sir, of course!" she replied.
"And finally...Eren. Don't succumb to rage and lose sight of the goal. We can't afford another mistake," he said, giving him a pointed look.
"Yes, sir!"
"All right. Let's get going!" said Hange.
She led them off with Moblit to locate their horses, but Anya lingered behind, and he once again silently cursed their lack of time. There were so many things he wanted to say, and yet he simply regarded her and watched the uncertainty flickering in her frosty eyes. He tentatively raised a hand to cup the side of her face, suddenly wondering if it would be the last time that he ever touched her, despite her only just having come home to him again.
"And you," he said quietly. "Make sure you come back."
Anya leant into his hand, and he brushed his thumb over her smooth skin.
"I will," she said. "I promise."
"I'll be waiting."
Anya pressed her lips to his and he shut his eyes, doing his best to commit her taste to memory. Eventually she broke away, and he watched as she strode off to join the others. He knew that she wouldn't look back.
It was easier that way.
YOU ARE READING
The Path Back to You | Levi x OC
Fanfiction"Reveal yourself," Erwin ordered, though Mikasa detected uncertainty in the commander's voice. It was almost as though he were afraid of who lay beneath the cloak. The entire regiment held its breath as the rider reached up with pale hands and lowe...
