Almost Want To Love You {Attack on Titan Fanfiction}

Chapter Seven

     Hanji's previous comment had effectively shut the captain up for a while. Her experiment of pretending to be asleep to see what Levi did worked much better than she'd expected. Unfortunately for her, that made the beginning of the ride silent as the grave.

Though she wouldn't admit it, Hanji was terrified. She was unable to walk while Levi, the only other companion she had, was forced to protect her. The danger involved was unparalleled to any she'd been in before.

    But she couldn't let Levi down. If it came down to it, she would take down a titan with whatever she could find. Her mind raced through anything she could use to defend herself, though her surroundings weren't exactly an arsenal.

    "I've got one on my left," Levi informed. From in front of her, he began to shift around on the horse. "I'll return shortly." With that, he leapt from their mount.

    Hanji took a deep breath. "This is it," she muttered aloud to reassure herself. "I have to watch myself."

    To her luck, she didn't have to protect herself for long. It wasn't but a few moments before the captain came swinging back to the horse. He landed on the ground beside her.

    "That's one down!" Hanji cheered, slowing the horse. She received nothing in reply. Levi climbed on his steed, not bothering to look at her or even acknowledge she'd spoken. The brunette fixed her eyes to the left, grumbling, "Gee, no need to be so uncooperative."

    "I'd rather be uncooperative than dead."

    That ended the conversation. Levi spurred the horse, and the two scouts continued their journey. Hanji rambled as they went, talking to herself or to Levi—it didn't matter at that point. Anything to ease the loneliness she felt though her comrade was close enough ahead of her to feel her breathing.

    So far, they hadn't had much to worry about. The most Levi had been forced to fight at one time was two titans. That meant they were lucky. But Hanji doubted that would last all the way to the wall, which they weren't even close to.

    After what felt like hours of riding, Hanji finally spoke up. "Levi, how far do you think we have to go?"

    He didn't speak for a moment, but Hanji could tell that he was considering his response. He wouldn't completely ignore her like he had been doing. During this brief time, she noticed the cute difference in height Levi had in front of her, measuring at least three inches shorter than she. Hanji had heard it go around that Levi had been malnourished as a child. Did that explain his stunted growth? Or was it genetic? What did his parents look like?

    "I'd say..." he began, pulling Hanji out of her head. "...probably two or three more hours."

    "What? But haven't we already ridden at least an hour and a half?"

    "It hasn't even been one hour yet." Levi's tone was cross, though the aggravation wasn't directed at her. Hanji wondered just how much sleep he'd gotten the night before—if he'd gotten any. Fatigue could have been a definite factor.

    Levi further explained, "Besides, we have longer to go considering the distance from where our group had been and the base." At this, the brunette let out a groan. She wondered if they'd ever get to the wall at this point.

    After their brief banter, the two once again returned to tense silence. The foliage around them had covered them for a while as they rode, but after an hour or so, the sound of a tree falling near them turned both of their gazes. Twenty yards from them were a couple of titans.

    As Levi began to rise in front of her, he ordered, "If anything happens, ride as fast as you can and don't stop."

    "But—"