The Captain - Levi Ackerman

Chapter 13

Dedicated Chapter Song: You Don't Know - Katelyn Tarver

So, let me just give up. So, let me just let go. If this isn't good for me, well I don't wanna know. Let me just stop trying. Let me just stop fighting. I don't want your good advice or reasons why I'm alright . You don't know what it's like

"So, Anna, are you ready to move to the old Scouts Headquarters?" Hanji asked. Anna simply shrugged and didn't reply. Hanji grumped. "Still not talking yet, are you?" Hanji began fixing her saddle on her horse. Anna only sighed. "Remind me again why we're moving headquarters?" She finally spoke. Hanji gasped. "So she does talk!" she giggled. Anna only rolled her eyes. "Well, turns out our buddy Eren can turn into a Titan!" she said, excitedly. "Our current headquarters is too small to really hold him in case he freaks out and goes into Titan mode in his sleep."

Anna only stared at the ground. Eren? A Titan? Could that be similar to how Ruby was a Titan? Anna thought long and hard about those ideas and more before someone snapped her out of her daze. "Hm?" she mumbled, looking over to see Orou high on his horse, looking down at her. "The captain wants a word with you." he said sternly. It was clear he was trying too hard to be like Levi. Anna nodded and let go of the restraints and slowly padded over to Levi. She timidly stood behind him, not wanting to speak. She looked to make sure no one was watching before she lightly tapped him on the shoulder. Levi turned and looked at her. She only arched an eyebrow on her stone cold face as if asking "What did you want?" without needing to speak. "Oh. You." Levi replied. "I should have known. No one else has that light of a touch." Anna only crossed her arms and waited for what he'd called her over for. "You are to stay within 10 meters of me at all times. Just because Cullen is dead doesn't mean-" Anna had had enough of him bringing up the fact that Cullen was dead. She knew she'd regret it later, but she swung her arm with all her might and slapped him hard across the face.

The loud gasp coming from literally everybody didn't make Anna feel any better about the gut-wrenching pain in her chest. Levi's head was turned in the direction she'd slapped him in, his face red and carrying an angry expression. "I don't care who you think you are, Levi Ackerman," she said, deep malice dripping off her voice. "You have no right to speak of my dead friend as though he meant nothing! He meant the world to me! I guess a heartless bastard like you could never understand." she spun on her heel and stormed away to her horse. She wanted to break down again. She wanted to not be okay. She wanted to run away and hide and never come out again. But she simply mounted her horse and followed Erwin and the others, staying no less than the required 10 meters away from Levi. There was no way she could even bother to look at him after he'd angered her so much.

Anna had never really hit another person without the reasoning of killing them before. Yet, she felt terrible for hitting Levi. She shrugged it off eventually, knowing she'd get over it and just hoping that he would too. She didn't even notice how close he was to her once they began to near the old headquarters. He'd grabbed the top of her head and turned it to face him. "If you ever," he spoke lowly so the others didn't hear them. "pull something like that again..." he warned. Anna smirked. "You'll what? Kill me?" She jerked her head away from him. "I believe there's a line somewhere." she straightened up on her horse. "Knowing that I'm probably the most wanted person in the Underlands, I'm sure someone is bound to come after me."

Levi's eyes flashed. "Underlands?" he stared at her. Anna said nothing afterwards, knowing she purposefully let that slip out. It was her intention. "Even after you have nothing left to live for, you still refuse to explain yourself-" Anna cut him off. "Maybe I would have already explained myself if you had not been an asshole to me after I'd lost everything." she hissed. "You didn't lose everything." he said, looking straight ahead. "You still have things to live for." Anna sucked her teeth. "Tch! Like what? You?" she stared at him. "Them?" she motioned to the rest of the squad. "Pft, yeah. Loads to live for." she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

They said nothing to each other the rest of the way to the old headquarters. Anna followed orders only given by Erwin until they reached the old headquarters, which looked to her like a castle. She parted her lips and stared as there were so many overgrown weeds and vines everywhere.

"Anna," Levi said without looking at her. "You're going to clean every last weed out here by yourself. The rest of us will clean the inside." Anna lowered her head and dismounted her horse, tying it up nearby. With a sigh she took out a bandana and tied it around her neck. "Well..." she looked around at the field of weeds. "Might as well get started." she bent down on her hands and knees and began ripping the weeds up.

"Don't you think you're a little harsh on her, Captain?" Petra asked, carrying a crate of cleaning supplies. "The poor girl lost her best friends in a millisecond, then gets uprooted and forced to follow us around like a servant. If I were you, I'd be more cautious of what you say and do around her. She's as powerful and deadly as a ticking time bomb." Petra warned before heading inside with the crate.

"Tch." Levi wanted to be angry at someone, but the only person he was truly angry at was himself. He glanced over his shoulder at Anna and watched her picking the weeds. In the dimmest sunlight that shone through he could see a teardrop on her perfect porcelain face. His heart dropped in his chest as he forced himself to go inside.