The Captain - Levi Ackerman

Chapter 21

Dedicated Chapter Song: Welcome to My Life - Abandoning Sunday

Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don't belong, and no one understand you?

      Anna nervously knocked on Commander Erwin's door. "Name and business?" he asked. "Anna Urrie. You requested my presence, Sir?"
      "Come in," Erwin insisted. Anna did as she was told and shoved the door open, observing the blond commander before her. "Sir? May I ask what this is about?"
      "Sit." he pointed to the chair before his desk. "If it's all the same to you, sir, I prefer to stand." Anna replied politely. Erwin said nothing else on the matter. "Are you aware of the expedition coming up in about a month?" he asked.

      "Expedition? I briefly heard about it." she admitted truthfully. "However, I don't know much about it, sir, nor its relevance to my being here." Erwin's eyes darkened. "The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission is the mission undertaken by us, the Scout Regiment, to plot a course from Calaneth District to Shiganshina District." he stated.

      "During these weeks, other new members of the Scout Regiment are to be trained in the strategy that would be implemented in the upcoming expedition: the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation." Erwin stated, pulling out a sketch of the formation and showing it to Anna.

      "In this formation, the Scout Regiment soldiers on horseback will be spread across a great distance in a semicircular form divided into multiple columns. New recruits will be trusted with communications and spare horse maintenance." Anna's eyes scanned every note of the plan, taking in every minute detail of it.

      "With this strategy, scouts at the front of the formation would warn the formation of approaching Titans with red or black signal flares, depending on whether it is a common Titan or an Abnormal, respectively. Upon seeing the flare, the command group at the front of the formation would fire a green flare in the new direction in order to avoid contact with the Titan sighted." Anna nodded in understanding of everything Erwin had told her so far.

      "Where do I come in to play?" she asked, politely. "That's the thing. You don't." Erwin responded. Anna scoffer. "Sir? If you recall I have the highest number of kills amongst all of humanity-"
      "That's exactly why you are to hold back unless absolutely necessary." Erwin instructed. Anna's eyebrows furrowed. "You're overpowered compared to the rest of us. Except Eren, since he can become a full blown Titan."
      "So, my orders are to follow you, but only that?" she seemed disappointed. "Yes. Exactly. We're well aware of your strength, Anna, you've proven it well. We're afraid you could snap, however, and cost us more lives than we're willing to risk."
      "But if I stand back you'll lose more lives than you're worth!" Anna spat. Erwin raised his head. "I'm sorry, Anna, but you're just too overpowered. Captain Levi will give your orders to attack when he feels it is right for you. Trust his judgement."

      Anna scoffed. "I can't trust that brat as far as I can chew him up and spit him out." Erwin's eyes shimmered. "That isn't what he told me. According to him, you opened up completely about the Violet Masqueraders." Anna eyes widened and she stomped on the ground "How much did he tell you?!" she demanded.

      "Almost all of it." Erwin stated simply. Anna groaned. "Shithead." she mumbled. "Was that all?" her eyes returned to him. "That's all. Dismissed." Anna spun on her heel and stormed back to the training grounds. "Hanji!" she crooned. "Where's Levi?"

      "Levi?" Hanji turned to her. "Last I saw he was grilling Eren for a piss poor job in the stables." Anna trudged to the stables. She saw Levi talking to Eren and her eyes narrowed. "You arse!" she caught Levi off-guard, shoving him into the closest stable, smacking his head against the wall. "Agh!" Levi groaned, glaring daggers at her. "You told Erwin?!" she barked.

      "Uh... should I give you two some room?" Eren asked. "Can it, Jaeger! I trusted you!" she sneered at Levi, who just raised his head proudly. "I don't follow orders from you. You should have known anything you tell me that's valuable information, I'm obligated to tell Erwin."

      "I'm gonna... go... " Eren scooted out of the stables. "I didn't think you'd tell Erwin... " Anna lowered her hand from gripping his shirt. "I trusted you to not tell anyone until I was comfortable." she lowered her head. "What do you want me to say? 'I'm sorry'?" he asked.

      "Pft, not like you'd mean it! You don't give a damn about anybody but yourself." she stepped away from him, turning to leave. "You're wrong about that." he stated flatly, causing Anna to halt. "Every member of this squad was hand-picked by me. I respect each and every one of them and value their lives as I value my own." Anna scoffed. "Except me." 

      "Wrong again." Levi stated, causing Anna to turn around and fully face him. "I heard of your talent being able to effortlessly slay the Titans and I knew that I had to find you and recruit you. Luckily, one of our members mentioned catching a glimpse of you in Shinganshina. We headed out the very next day and lucky for us, you were there." Anna stared at him in wonder. "It was all a set up? Every last part of it?" her voice broke. "And getting me to trust you was a set-up, too?!" her voice raised, her eyes angry. "You agreed to share a room with me only because you knew you would gain my trust that way! You WANTED me to spill my secrets!" her eyes welled up with tears, but she forced herself to stay strong. Levi went to speak, but Anna just shook her head. "Don't speak. I don't want to hear anything you have to say." she turned away, running out of the stables crying. 

      "Anna?" Hanji asked, noticing the crying girl. She gripped her by the shoulders. "What did he do?!" She demanded. Anna sniveled. "Nothing, Zoe. Don't worry about it. I'm just an idiot." Hanji hugged her close. "Don't tell me. You confessed your feelings for him and he told you you're pathetic?" Hanji questioned. "No," Anna said. "Though, that would be a much lighter thing to handle." her shoulders drooped. "I just realize I can't trust him. In fact...I'm not even quite sure if I can trust any of you. He's set me back once again to the point where I'm afraid again."

      "Don't run away from us, Anna." Eren begged. That girl Mikasa from earlier glared at Anna. "We need you." Anna wiped her eyes and shook her head. "No one needs me. I'm just a broken toy." Levi's heart ached to hear how the girl talked about herself. If only she hadn't been so fucking stubborn and let him speak, she wouldn't have been in this predicament! Now he was the bad guy? "Shitty brat," he grumbled and turned away.