Freedom: Levi Fanfiction

| The shocking truth

38

I gulped while Hanji was unraveling the rolled-up document. Everyone had gathered around, our forest-green cloaks wrapped around our bodies while we waited. "Okay..." she mumbled.

        "I finally managed to get my hands on the background report for Annie Leonhart," Hanji said. Ah, that must be the report she's been talking about since a few days ago. 

        I furrowed my brows. "It took you that long?" She nodded to my question and looked at the documents in her hands.

        "It's taken so long to get it because managing these reports is such a mess right now. Anyways, according to this..."

        Everyone put their undivided attention on the Major, including Levi. "There are two others from the 104th cadet corps who came from the same area as her. Now, this doesn't really add anything but if we put two and two together, these two might have known about Annie Leonhart." I looked at Eren, then at Levi. My heart started to beat profusely. First, Annie now, Krista-- or shall I say, Historia? Now this? 

        Hanji's eyes jolted toward my direction. "And those two are... Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover." 

The young scouts' eyes widened in shock. All of a sudden, I felt my heart skip a beat. Reiner... and Bertholdt? No way. That could only mean a few things: one, they and Annie were simply just acquaintances who came from the same town or two... they knew about Annie all along. I looked at our circumstances for reference. If I didn't know about Eren's titan, could those two not know as well?

        Hanji continued, "Thanks to the chaos five years ago, pretty much all of their family records are spotty or missing. However... during the long-range scouting formation, their unit was given false information. They were among those purposely told that Eren was in the right wing." 

        A small gasp left Armin's lips. "A-Annie attacked from the right-wing! It's possible that they passed that information to Annie-"

        "Wait, wait. Let's not get to conclusions. How would they have done that? Surely, those with Reiner or Bertholdt must've seen something odd," I refuted. I was pretty much in disbelief: in disbelief at my own thoughts, at the information given to us, and at everything that has been happening so far. Four. Four out of ten held secrets and now we're just knowing about this?!

          Eren furrowed his brows and leaned closer to his friend. "Hey, now's not the time for your theories, Armin. It's Bertholdt and Reiner we're talking about here!" 

        "Haven't you learned from the blonde brat who betrayed you and your friends and killed hundreds of people?" the familiar voice spoke all of a sudden. Levi had his arms crossed and a brow arched. The air in the room became suffocating and it was hard to function with all these pieces of information thrown at our heads. 

        "What are you saying, Levi? Put yourself in my brother's shoes-"

        "Put yourself in Petra's shoes." My breath hitched. In... what now? His words were sharper than daggers. "How about the hundreds and thousands of people who died? Put your feelings aside, Iris. Eren."

        "My feelings... aside?" I've always put my feelings aside. Even when Petra's dead body laid in front of my face, I never cried, let out a shriek, or got mad. Now... he's telling me that?! I was almost in Petra's shoes! I almost died 'saving' humanity and now here I am. I pursed my lips and tried to let go of the anger that had built up inside me. I tried. 

         "I understand, Eren. Iris. By itself, that's not enough to prove anything. So just in case, I'd like to hear from you how these three acted during training. Know anything?" spoke Hanji.