Cloaked Lust

Memories

"Again Kara!" Levi shouted. She cringed at her last name. He had told the captain to call her Star, or at least Astraea, but he refused every time with one of his signatures "tchs." 'Seriously, this man should further his vocabulary' she thought

"I said again, Kara!" Astraea groaned, jogging to reset the equipment for her exercise. For the past 4 hours, she had been killing mock titans in the forest. It was an agonizing cycle, clear the course, speak with Levi as he gives "constructive" criticism, then reset and go again. After each run, Levi would time her, check her gas usage, and critique her overall performance. Needless to say, his feedback was never positive.

She emerged from the forest, finished with resetting the titan dummies. "Levi it's been hours," she whined, "the sun is setting and I'm tired of this drill."

"That's Corporal or Captain Ackerman to you," he glared.

"That's Astraea or Star to you," she mocked. "Besides you're not my captain yet," she smirked.

She had learned just how to push his buttons over the past week that she had been there. It was the little things that made him tick by 'accidentally' leaving crumbs on the dinner table or mocking the way he drank his tea. If it were anyone else, she might feel bad, but this was Levi.

He was opposed to personally training me along with Erwin, but he couldn't disobey a direct order. He had, however, come to admire the young girl's skills after truly seeing her abilities up close, but he would never admit it. Despite this, he still wasn't content with his new mentoring duties. He thought his time could be better spent elsewhere, but out of respect for Erwin, he followed through.

"Cadet-" Levi started.

"Nuh-uh-uh," she wagged her finger in his face. "Not a cadet yet..." Astraea sang.

"I swear on the walls I will-" but he was once again cut off.

"Levi, Astraea, I can see the training is going well," Erwin smiled. Astraea couldn't help but grin, she had taken a liking to the commander. Almost like a father figure.

She winced at the thought of her father. He should have been home from his trip any day now. What would he think when he saw there was no home to return to. No daughter to return to. She longed to see him, to tell him she was alright, but she knew it wouldn't be wise to do so. Seeking him out wasn't an option, she knew from past experience it would be dangerous. His job and co-workers were at the very least, unconventional, and sending a hoard of scouts to seek him out would be a death sentence for the both of them.

✩✩✩

A nine-year-old Astraea looked towards the sky, watching the sunset as she sat on the curb of the road, waiting for her father to return. She had begged him to take her with him to Mitras, and because he only needed to drop off an item to a 'friend' in the underground, he reluctantly agreed. He had given her a small pouch of coins to spend at the local market, promising he would return before the sunset. But the sun was nearly behind the walls, and the young girl was starting to worry, so she made an impulsive decision and decided to find him.

The staircase to the underground was dark and scary, and she wished her father were here to hold her hand. But if father was brave enough to descend on his own, then Astraea could be too. As she reached the end of the staircase she gave herself a minute for her eyes to adjust. It was dark. And dirty. What would father be doing in a place like this?

She wandered the streets, searching for a pair of blue eyes, not unlike her own. The small girl took no notice of all the stares she received. Her pale green dress and shiny brown leather shoes were a stark contrast to the clothing items the citizens of the underground wore. Her innocence shone through every smile she sent, astounding the recipients. Innocence did not exist in the underground, at least, not for long.

"Excuse me, sir," the little blonde asked as she tugged on a tall man's coat. "Do you know where my father is? His name is Ambrose Kara and he's really tall. He has black hair and blue eyes like mine! Have you seen him?"

The man looked at the girl up and down. She was definitely from above. "Sure kid," he said. "I'll take you to him, follow me."

"Thank you so much!" Astraea replied as she followed the man down a dark alley. "Um, can I hold your hand? It's dark, and I don't like the dark," she mumbled.

"Sure kid," the man said again, grabbing her tiny hand. His grip was tight and unwavering, unlike her father's which was gentle.

"That hurts," she whimpered, trying to pry the man's hands off of her. The man then let out a long whistle, summoning more men.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here," another man said with a sadistic smile.

✩✩✩

"Tch, brat are you even listening?" Levi said, effectively snapping the girl back to the present.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Astraea said quietly. She was still shaken from the memory.

"Of course," Erwin said. "I was able to locate your friends, Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlet." She perked up at the news. She had been waiting for Erwin to find them all week. But finding them had proven to be a difficult task for the commander. The dead were still being accounted for, and the refugees had been hurriedly sent away to work. But he made a promise to the little girl that he fully intended to keep. "They're safe," he said with a small smile. Astraea let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "They have been sent to work in the fields, but rumor has it the three are planning to join the cadet corps like you." She smiled at the thought of them all being together again.

"What about Karla, she's Eren and Mikasa's mom. They went to find her right after the wall fell, is she-" Erwin cut her off.

"I'm sorry, Karla Jaeger did not make it," he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. It was warm.

"Oh," is all the silver-haired girl said. She didn't know what else to say. Karla had practically been a second mother to her. After her mother's death, she spent many nights at the Jaeger household while her father was working. Karla had always been there, from braiding her hair to kissing her goodnight. She loved Astraea as her own.

"I have other matters to discuss with the both of you," Erwin said, changing the subject. Astraea was grateful for this, she didn't want to dwell, or worse, be pitied by the two men.

"Levi, I need you to take over Captain Hange's squad indefinitely."

"I don't see how that's possible," Levi replied. "Between my own squad and teaching this idiot-" Astraea rolled her eyes, "there's just not enough time in the day."

"For the time being," Erwin said, "I am excusing you from training Astraea. She has clearly proven herself capable physically, but she still needs to accustom herself with other important matters like strategy and efficiency."

"So what are you going to do with the brat if I'm not there to babysit her," Levi asked, rolling his eyes. Astraea let out a string of curses as she glared daggers at the raven-haired man. She may not be able to win a fight against humanity's strongest, but she could put up one hell of a fight and inflict some serious damage on that pretty face.

'Wait, pretty face-'

"From now on Astraea will be shadowing me. I believe it to be beneficial to her training and I need you to be free to complete this new task," Erwin said.

"Why does Shitty Glasses even need me to take over her squad? Don't tell me it's to give her time for her experiments," Levi said exasperated.

"Levi, Hange's work is none of your concern. Besides, I thought you weren't too fond of your new 'babysitting' duties," he said as he raised one of his perfectly groomed eyebrows. Astraea unconsciously touched her own. 'Seriously, what is this man's secret,' she thought.

"Tch, whatever. I'll take over the squad, enjoy this brat," Levi called over his shoulder as he walked back towards HQ.

"Seriously, what is up that guy's butt," Astraea mumbled, causing Erwin to let out a small chuckle.

"Come Astraea, I'll walk you to your room. Tomorrows going to be a long day."