Because Of You

Chapter 28

"I trust you." Just like that, years of mistrust had been diminished. But was it really so sudden? The two scouts held some mutual ground and had had conversations before, it had been a slow start, but their trust was increasing.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that." The captain admitted.

"Neither did I." Carmen agreed, she didn't even trust Petra and Oruo with the information she'd shared with Levi. But that was different. They were different. Both her friends brought out the best in her, they shouldn't have been burdened with her past, and Carmen was slightly content that they never found out about it. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to stick with the scouts. I think that's the only way out of this in which I maintain whatever freedom I've gained. If I were to abandon it, I'd be trapped in that cycle again."

"A cycle of killing?"

Carmen stayed silent, confirming his question with no exact answer. But he knew what her silence meant.

"I don't want to go back there. My loyalties are with you now." She stated, once again shocking Levi.

"You don't need to do that. As long as you're with the scouts, you'll be loyal to all of us." He countered. "But Erwin will have some questions, he doesn't trust easily and doesn't like the idea of a mole in our ranks."

Carmen stayed silent, zoning into her thinking space once again. She knew Levi's words weren't entirely true, because Erwin wanted to trust her, or at least, he wanted her to trust him. That was made clear when he allowed her to sit in the same wagon as her squad.

"That's incorrect." She revealed after a while. "Erwin wants me to trust the scouts, this was his aim all along, wasn't it?"

"How'd you jump to that conclusion?" Levi questioned.

"He sat me with you and Hange, knowing I'd be exposed to sensitive information. By doing this, he also created the illusion that he trusted me. I'm aware that he doesn't actually trust me, but he does want to. Because he thinks I know things, in truth, my knowledge on the titan subject is merely a decimal." The assassin explained.

"What about the military police? What do you know about them?" He pressed.

"I know that most of those who are corrupt, would rather die than reveal their secrets. They're hellbent on their ideals, I doubt anything could falter them."

"Any names?"

"How about a third of their regiment?" Carmen bargained. "I know the names of my handlers if that's what your asking, but those names seem pretty insignificant compared to the big picture."

Their conversation quietened down almost instantly. Captain Levi had a day full of surprises, and not the happy kind. They had proof that the military was corrupt, but that only made it obvious just how ill prepared the scouts were. Not to mention the words Carmen used to describe them. 'Handlers' didn't seem like a friendly term. It made him wonder about all the scars she'd received.

Just then, the two heard voices. Deep and unbothered, they conversed regardless of their position being out of bounds.

"You hear that?" Carmen inquired, receiving a nod from the captain.

"It's possible that some civilians stayed in their houses, but that's unlikely." Levi added. "What do you think?"

"My guess, the subject of our conversation."

"The military police?" Carmen nodded. Then the two tried to listen in on the other soldier's conversations.

"Glad those idiots left the walls, makes it a whole lot easier for us to get rid of that doctors research." One laughed.

"What if she just recreates it?" The other wondered.

"Then we get rid of her too!" One yelled, oblivious that two scouts were listening in.

"Don't we have dolls to do this shit?" Two asked, sounding tired despite his job being so easy.

"They're only to be used for assassinations, or acquiring information." One answered, obviously being the most experienced of the two.

"Judging by how pretty they all are, I hope they acquire some information from me." Two joked, it was no secret that torture wasn't the only way information could be gained. Carmen grimaced at the thought.

"They're coming this direction." She revealed, looking for places to hide in the process, but none were found. Levi tried to open a few doors, only to find they were locked. Either one of them could kick down a door, the problem was, neither could do it quietly. "Shall I engage in combat?" Carmen wondered, knowing she could dispose of the MPs without breaking a sweat.

"No, you could reopen your wound." He stopped her. "Besides, you're bound to be in pain with it." Little did he know, she couldn't feel a thing. "We could talk to them, or just casually walk by. Either way, we can't get out of this unseen."

Carmen shook her head. "They'd recognise me. And you. Considering we're outside the walls, and overheard them, they won't hesitate to have us arrested." She explained as the voices got closer.

They were running out of time and neither knew what to do about it. Both injured, neither where they were supposed to be, two military police with guns. Their odds weren't looking great.

"Hey you two!" One of the MPs pointed, but Carmen acted quick. Without thinking she swiftly kissed the captain, hiding both of their faces and deceiving the MP simultaneously. "Oh- um." The soldier walked away, not exactly knowing what to do with the two who were making-out during a titan invasion.

As soon as Carmen was satisfied that the soldier had left, she parted from the kiss, manoeuvring back to her original position back beside Levi. She didn't feel anything, why would she? It was only a kiss, and it certainly wasn't her first. So instead of fussing over the situation, she continued as normal. "We should head back now, I'm sure they're not the only ones taking advantage of this." The assassin advised, actually meeting Levi's oblivious and almost astonished gaze; clearly the experience had been different. "Captain?" She cocked her head, wondering if he'd been the one to zone out for a change.

"You going to explain that stunt you just pulled?" To Carmen, he sounded irritated, but then again, he always did, though this was new.

"It was a tactic." She answered him. "Physical displays of affection make people uncomfortable, so I knew the soldier wouldn't stick around, not to mention, we also managed to conceal our faces this way. Did we not?" The woman elaborated, sharing her reasoning.

"We did, but that doesn't justify it." Levi argued.

"Justify it?" Carmen questioned, not quite understanding him. But Levi didn't give her the privilege of an answer, luckily she managed to figure him out. "Where I grew up, I wasn't expected to hold sentimental values to kisses or anything more, I was taught to use them to save my skin, lure people or interrogate them. I realise now that my strategy was flawed, however we were short on time, and needed to act quickly." She explained. "Levi?" She asked him again, he looked confused, that was visible when she felt his gaze. It was as though it was looking straight through her.

"You're right, we should get out of here." He finally stated before leading the way back to the gates of Wall Rose. "And Carmen,"

"Hm?"

"Don't ever do that again."

That made her feel even worse for her quick thinking, but she did save both of them from being caught, so why was he making such a big deal about it? Carmen had helped him. Besides, the kiss wasn't exactly pleasant for her either.

That's when it hit her.

"You've never been kissed before, have you?" She wondered as the captain continued walking. No doubt he'd heard her, however, his decision to ignore her question gave her an answer. "I wish I could say the same. You heard those two soldiers, I interrogated people, not all of it was torture. I suppose that's why I hate physical displays of affection, Petra only got away with it once or twice. But even then, I disliked it."

"Then why'd you do it?"

"Can't teach an old dog new tricks." She shrugged.