The Captain - Levi Ackerman

Chapter 33

Dedicated Chapter Song: Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless

Take me, I'm alive. Never was a girl with a wicked mind, but everything looks better when the sun goes down. 

      Anna's eyes opened. She listened close to make sure no one was near her in the infirmary. Footsteps became distant. When she had the chance to escape, she took it, bolting out of the medical bed and taking off down She realized she had been changed into clean clothing and scoffed. "...Levi..." she mumbled, knowing it had to have been him.

      She ran up to their room and grabbed her jacket and cape. "I can't waste any time." she said to herself, making her way to the stables. "Come on, girl." Anna swung herself up onto the white horse. "We've gotta catch up to them." she said, kicking her heels against the flanks of the horse.

      "Any progress with Anna?" Hanji asked the short Captain. Levi didn't look at her. "Tch, I wouldn't quite call it progress."
       "Well, did you learn anything new about her?" Hanji adjusted her question. Levi huffed. "I did. It seems... our paths have crossed more than twice and yet we never knew it. That and most of her life she's unable to remember due to this 'Boss'."

      "I wonder who he is." Hanji mumbled. "If I ever met him, I'd probably stab him." she smiled. "I'll hand you the knife." Levi stoically mumbled. Behind them came the sound of a whinnying horse.

      "What the hell is that?" Eren looked over his shoulder. "It's Anna!" Armin cheered. "Huh?" Levi turned around, confused. Anna grinned widely as she saw the Survey Corps just up ahead. With a wave, she continued on. "It's Anna," some of them mumbled. "She's awake?"

      They slowed down for her to catch up. "Anna Kasahara, sir!" Anna saluted to Erwin. "Reporting for duty." Erwin arched one of his bushy eyebrows. "Kasahara?" he questioned.

      "Lance Corporal Levi can tell you everything you need to know. Annalise Kasahara is my real name. Urrie was my alias under the Violet Masqueraders. I'm not one of them anymore. They took part in the deaths of the late Special Operations Squad." Erwin narrowed his eyes. Anna straightened her spine. "If it's all the same to you, sir, I will tell you their plans and everything I know about them. In exchange I only ask to take part in exterminating every last one of them."

      Erwin took a moment before smiling and nodding at her. "Glad to have you back, Anna." To which, she smiled softly. "Glad to be back, Commander." The Survey Corps continued on and Anna waited for them to pass, hanging in the back near Levi and Hanji.

      "Missed ya, Zoe." she beamed. Hanji grinned. "So was all of that true? You and Levi are connected?" Anna laughed softly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
      "Levi was able to enter your dreams, yeah?" Hanji repeated. Anna smirked. "What have you been smoking, Zoe?" Anna snickered. Hanji stared at her, dumbfounded. "Fine. Don't tell me." she crossed her arms. Anna turned to look at Levi. "No comment?" she asked.

      "What are you doing up? You should be back at Headquarters resting." he stated sternly. Anna laughed. "And let you have all the fun?! No way!" she grinned. "I'm ready and roaring to go. Nothing's gonna stop me. Not even death." she giggled. "Besides, you all worry too much. I just had an extended nap since I've had a lack of sleep lately. No biggie." she said nonchalantly.

      "Anna... you were poisoned... " Hanji pointed out. Anna shrugged. "It's fine. My immune system is stronger than Boss thinks. The poison wore off shortly after arriving to the infirmary. I regained consciousness for a short moment there before falling back under due to anesthetic."

      "So, you remember everything that happened to you?" Hanji questioned. Anna nodded. "Yep," she spoke, popping the "p". "And I fully intend on repaying the cock-wad one day and giving him what for. You remember Cullen, right? Of course you do. Turns out we actually were a thing." Anna spoke casually, making Levi clench his jaw.

      "What? No way!" Hanji gasped. "Mhmm! Turns out Boss caught us getting a little caught up... " she cleared her throat. "Not THAT far, but far enough to where he felt the need to erase my memory of all feelings for Cullen. Now I know why he acted so strange around me since then. He still remembered. He still had feelings for me... " she trailed off.

      "He died thinking maybe one day I'd come back to him as maybe his loving angel or some shit like that." Anna sighed. "That alone is enough to make me want to stab the fuck out of Boss." Anna gripped at her reigns, taking a deep breathe. "I killed so many innocent people, Zoe..." she said softly, her eyes distant and cloudy. "So many of them didn't even deserve it... and so many of them were too young to die. Do you think they would forgive me when I die? Or will they get their revenge once I meet them again?" 

      "You were just following orders," Hanji said softly. "That's the problem!" Anna exclaimed. "I followed orders! I should have let myself die instead of all of those innocent people. Men, Women, and even children, Han. I left children orphaned and alone." her hands began to shake. "And I felt no regret for it..." her eyes refused to look at Levi. "Decades ago I was responsible for an innocent mother's death. No one knew she died at my hands. They thought she died from a disease, but I poisoned her with that disease. She had a child..." Anna looked down at her hands. "My kill contract was technically the both of them. I only agreed to kill the mother. I thought someone else would kill the child but...they didn't." she sighed, a little relief coming out of her. "News spread in the VM that the child was taken by a relative. I still have scars on my back from the flogging that night." Anna tugged at a strand of her hair. Hanji gasped at her. 

      She felt Levi's cold eyes watching her, but she didn't dare look at him. "I didn't care that night. In fact, I begged for more. I was proud of myself for letting the child escape. I was angry at Boss for even thinking a small child who'd done no wrong deserved to die. I wanted that boy to live. I wanted him to see his mother die as a calling to rise up against those bastards. People die everyday, that I know." her voice quieted. "Yet, which flowers do we pick in a garden? The beautiful ones? Or the rotten ones?" 

      "The pretty ones." Hanji said. Anna nodded sadly. "Exactly. It was my job to cut back the grass and pluck the flowers from the world. I don't want to do that anymore. I want to cut out all the weeds and let the garden grow." she turned her head up to look at the sky. "I'm proud that boy escaped. He grew up to be one of the best people I've ever met." she smiled. Hanji glanced at Levi, her eyes widening just slightly as she realized who Anna was talking about. Levi said nothing on the matter. 

      "So..." Anna breathed, clearing out the tension. "What was the mission again?"