A Promise (An Attack on Titan Fanfic: Erwin Smith)

Bitter Failures

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just out on a leisure forest stroll—dobe, what other reason is there for me to be here?"

Levi clicked his tongue as he eyed the girl who was soaring a few distance to his side, the wind whistling loudly in their ears and tousling their hair while they made their way deeper into the forest. 

Just his luck, the lightning of a titan transformation happened right after he refilled his gas canisters, so he didn't waste any more time in shooting into the forest to find his squad and Eren. However, to his slight surprise, Isanna suddenly caught up to him from a different direction with her maneuvering gear. 

He squinted his eyes at her in suspicion, but didn't slow down his pace. "Does Erwin even know you're here?"

"Is your gas full?" she asked back, deliberately changing the topic and internally hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Yes, now answer the question." He didn't allow her to fool him. Unfortunately.

"..." Isanna bit her tongue while fixing her eyes ahead of them, through the cluster of towering trees and occasionally ducking her head to avoid a nearing branch. 

"Let me guess, you didn't tell him."

All he received was a sheepish smile.

"Tch." Levi sped forward so that he was now ahead of her. Great, now he was tasked to babysit his Commander's beloved. And to make it worse, she was here without his knowledge. Levi was far from excited at the job. 

"I already have Eren's ass to babysit. Carry your own ass."

Rolling her eyes, Isanna replied, "Of course I will. You do you. I was just worried about Eren and couldn't help myself."

"You could've at least told Erwin," he said and refrained from adding "So that he wouldn't lose his shit looking for you and blame me if anything happened to you."

Isanna quietly grumbled under her breath. "He was being a stubborn jerk and wouldn't let me go."

Because he's worried, you dumb fuck, Levi wanted to say, but chose not to. Whatever stupid drama between the two was not his business.

Aside from the zipping noises of their gears, only the silence accompanied them in the next few minutes, with the occasional bird call echoing from some parts of the forest. They did not know what to see nor expect up ahead, but after numerous scouting missions throughout the years, both were experts enough to know that whatever scene they'd come across wouldn't be pleasant. 

True to their thoughts, they were greeted by another massacre. 

Isanna had to press her lips tighter in a firm line while biting her tongue in silent remorse as she and Levi passed through the fallen bodies of the Special Operation squad.

She could recognize their faces, and although she was personally not that close with them, she knew how much Levi valued his members; the trust built from countless expeditions had bonded them tightly.

None of them bothered to break the silence. Isanna forced herself to tear her eyes away from the dead bodies, not having the heart to look at them as she stared at Levi's back as they flew by, his cloak ruffling behind him.

This was one reason why she didn't want a squad of her own. She knew she didn't have the mental fortitude to bear the ache of losing anyone else close to her heart. Being the Commander's personal assistant was enough.

As Isanna stared at Levi's figure from the back, she couldn't help but notice how slackened his shoulders had become each time he passed by a body, but he never stopped and continued moving forward through the forest.