Shinzou wo Sasageyo Ayanokouji

ℭ22: 𝔚𝔥𝔬 𝔦𝔰 𝔥𝔢?

C22: Who is he?

Ayanokouji's POV

The first rays of light hit my exhausted eyelids as they fluttered open, revealing none of the earlier bloodshed. Rather, it was a grey blanket over my quite wounded body and a quiet shack. Hmm, I can feel a few sprains through my joints and my knees are very sore.

That fight took quite a toll on me. I looked around to find something that was quite strange, there were quite a few people who were on the floor beside my bed. Lying on the ground or leaning on my bed, were quite a few of my comrades as Levi who seemed to have been standing still near the door tiptoed over, quite graciously not crushing the bodies below him.

He signalled me to talk outside the shack, as I walked out as unobtrusively as him. The bright light outside reflexively closed my eyes shut for a few seconds before they readjusted on Levi's frame. He leaned to the wall and started speaking while staring at the distant smoke, "Kiyotaka, are you doing well?" This time, the voice was oddly gentle. Hearing something so caring from such a cold-faced person, was interesting as I responded, "I am better and after hearing such care, I am touched." He stared at me as I tried to make a joke and kept staring.

Staaaaarrrrrrreeeee

"Was that the joke? Sorry, with your expressions, can't really tell if you are joking or announcing a titan massacre." He mocked my expressions as I felt nothing but despair at his cruel words, not really...but still. He asked another question, this time in a small whisper, "What happened to Annie Leonhart? You knew too much, yet didn't share a single detail with us."

I sighed as I spoke, "I didn't want to increase her targets. Annie was unstable and if she got the hint that I had slipped the facts, it would lead to a much brutal catastrophe."

"Oh really? If you are so noble, why didn't you say so just as we were escaping or right when we met up before you asked me to blow up the barracks." He caught the flaws in my reasoning, something very expected of him.

"I was nervous...and I couldn't think....sorry." I apologised but all it brought was a strange sense of dread from his side.

It seems he gave up and spoke in a grunt, "Alright if you won't speak, let me do it for you. You didn't trust us from the beginning. No matter what I said, you steeled the fact that you can't trust us. I don't blame you, after all, you did play a major role in stopping the titan in the end. And if I am not wrong, you even had a backup plan to stop her, all alone. Aren't I right?"

What he said, showed his deductive prowess. Quite a solid theory. I spoke up," I am not god. I am just another average cadet. But it is true, that If everyone hadn't come, things would be difficult indeed." In reality, he was right. If they hadn't come along I would have to do a lot more planning mid-air and manipulating her would be quite a mammoth task.

"Anyways, take rest Kiyotaka, I will speak to you later," Levi said so, as I can guarantee he will try to find my inner workings.

Levi's POV

I watched the receding figure of a wounded 17-year-old boy, who shed an aura of someone much older. I sat at the table next to me as I thought about all the recent happenstances trying to get a crack at this. The boy is hopeless when I try to chip out information from him. From the first day, I met him,

I didn't like Kiyotaka Ayanokouji.

The chains entangled him as he sat there, playing a game of words with the top soldiers. In a simple scenario, a cadet would have shrivelled up at the sight of us in such a haunting situation. But there he was as if he was completely prepared for any situation. I would even go as far as to say, every single step he takes is planned. Every single movement is calculated.