Outside the Walls (Attack on Titan fanfiction)

Chapter 8- Reconcile with me

Ayano woke up slower than usual. She opened her eyes to see the dark cell and sat up, rubbing her eyes. When her eyes focused again, she was looking at the Corporal and Hanji. They were sipping at cups while examining a piece of paper. Hanji looked up and smiled at Ayano. 

"Good morning, Cadet! Sleep well?" Hanji greeted with her usual enthusiasm. Ayano yawned and slightly smiled back. 

"Hello, Squad Leader. I slept well, thank you." Levi looked up and eyed her suspiciously.

"Did you get a new pair of manners overnight?" He asked coldly. Ayano glared at him and crossed her arms. 

"Why the hell did you have to kick me, Shorty?" Her eyes turned cold again. Levi sighed at the nickname that now Hanji and Ayano used.

"Nope, it's still the annoying brat." The Corporal rubbed his eyes. "You kept us up all night, with your constant mumblings." Hanji shot a glare that said 'why-the-hell-did-you-tell-her?'. She faced Ayano.

"You see, you've been talking in your sleep, and recently, you've been humming. We think that this is linked to your past."

"Like... I'm remembering in my sleep." Ayano said, her cold demeanour back but a slight quiver hid in her voice.

"Exactly." Levi said shortly.

"How long have you known this?" Ayano asked. Apparently she didn't know that she talked in her sleep herself.

"Er... we heard you the first time you slept in your designated room." Hanji replied, bashful. She sneaked a glance at Levi and Ayano caught it. She in turn looked at the Captain.

"Tch. Stalker." She grumbled. Levi abruptly stood up and took hold of the bars.

"What was that, brat?" He said loudly. Ayano challenged him with a glare. She leaned forward, straining the chains.

"You heard me right, Captain." The small but feisty girl growled. "You're a damn stalker."

"At least I'm not a disappointment." Levi retorted. "Mavis would be damned to see what her own flesh and blood has done!" That struck a nerve. Ayano froze for a while, the name sounding so familiar but still out of reach. Her frustration reached it climax as she started to pull at the chains- which were reinforced.

"I'll get out of these chains and kill you!" She yelled, tears flying off her face. Levi remembered Eren looking like that at some stage. The chains held and Ayano eventually tired out.

"I'll... I'll remember." The girl whispered to herself. "I will remember." Hanji rushed up the stairs before her glasses fogged up with tears. The rattling of the chains continued as Ayano moved around.

"Sir." Eren walked down the concrete steps and saluted the Captain. "Hanji instructed me to take over. She said that you need to rest." Levi rubbed his temples.

"A brat watching over another brat? This should be interesting." Levi stood up and exited the cellars. "Don't do anything stupid."

Eren took a seat in front of Ayano's cell. There was a moment of silence, then Ayano looked up into Eren's determine filled eyes.

"I'm sorry." She said, to Eren's surprise. "About running away like that."

"It's... really no big deal." He said, waving her apology away. "You probably had a lot going through your mind then. I would've done the same myself, if such a thing happened to me." Ayano nodded at this.

The silver haired girl kept tugging at the chains, her muscles aching for exercise. "Um, Ayano?" She stopped and looked up at Eren. His face was bashful and determined at the same time. "What... do you remember?"