Chasing Ghosts [Attack on Titan](Wattys 2014 Winner)

Chapter twenty-seven- Happiness and misery.

Chapter twenty seven

I felt a little sensation of approval flow though me. He was allowing me to help him, usually the stubborn trainee's pride wouldn't let him let anyone help him. He stood and rolled his shoulder looking over at the stitched wound. “How did that happen?” I demanded. He looked up at me. “I was trying to do the spinning maneuver you taught me and lost grip on my blade.” He explained. I suddenly realized that the bottom of his shirt was missing and his well sculpted chest could be seen very clearly. That’s why all the young ladies were looking at him so weirdly… I took a quiet breath. “Come, lets get you a change of clothes.” He nodded following me inside still too weak to object. I lead him to his room that he shared with several other young men.

I'd never been in this room actually. I stayed in the girls dorm before I became a captain and got my own room. I had no reason to be in this room before, he went to his section of the room and he dug though a little drawer at the end of the bunk bed. He grumbled as a plume of dust flew into the sky I sneezed slightly the room was dirty. I bet it bugged him. “You can clean this room if you want.” I said. He looked up at me from rummaging though the clothes. “I do, it just gets dirty from the useless slobs that stay in here.” He pulled out a white shirt and examined it I turned around as he removed his ripped jacket. “I'll go get you a new jacket from the storage.” I said anything to get out of that dusty room.

 I went to the store room and to a box in the back filled with uniforms. I pulled out a chestnut jacket from the folded clothing it looked about his size. I returned to the room, the boy had on a white shirt with a strange collar that tucked upward almost like a dancing shirt. I blinked he fidgeted with the piece of fabric below his neck. I tossed the young man his jacket and he caught it slipping it on smoothly over the wound. “Thanks.” He said gruffly. I blinked, today was just full of surprises. A thank you out of this guy…? I smiled, trying to hide the pleasure I felt when he actually used manners. “You’re welcome.” I turned to go and I felt a hand on my shoulder I turned to look back at him slightly surprised. “No, really thank you. You kind of saved my life there.” He said. “If you hadn't thought quickly I might have bled out onto the grass right there.” He said. I turned to look at him “I'd do that for anyone in this corp. Your all my family, blood related or not. I plan on protecting all of us.” I said he just stared at me for a moment. “The compassion you share for this group is truly remarkable.” He said. I shrugged “I've been in the army for eleven years. Its hard not to think of this group as family, sadly I can't get close to anyone because they can be lost to titans any second.” I said he blinked his steel gray eyes. “I just want to help everyone I can, human beings are like that.” I explained simply. He blinked tipping his head slightly to the right with a puzzled look on his face. “Not all of them…” He said.

I shrugged “Well, we don't want to live by each other’s misery but by each other’s happiness right?” I said “I think everyone knows that subconsciously.” I shrugged my shoulders slightly at my statement. He said nothing and ran his hand though his hair in silence for a moment while the moonlight flooded though the window. I blinked at Levi while he tried to wrap his head around the words I'd said. After a while he looked up at me but still remained silent. “Perhaps, but I don’t think there are enough people who can see the world the way you do.” He said. I nodded turning to go again “Maybe one day, there will be.” I left and went to my room down the hallway. I removed the old book from my desk, the one about the world before the walls. I flipped open to a page about the ‘sea’ a vast body of water filled with salt. I wondered what it tasted like. Could I drink it if I tried…? I sat down on my bed putting my back against the head frame of the cushiony material. I flipped through the pages there was one about ‘jungles’ a forest that had daily rain and the forest was so thick and green that the sky could not be seen though the layers of trees.

Apparently something named ‘Jaguars’ lived there massive black cats that lived in the trees praying on the creatures that lived there. There was a drawing of one, it was huge with glowing green eyes and massive fangs its paws outstretched with long knife like claws extending towards me. I shut the book with a sight, I wouldn't get to see any of these things in my lifetime. I was sure of that, but perhaps my children. If I had any, would be able to see these things. I set the book down on my night stand changing clothes and pulling the covers of my bed over my head. I drifted off into a dream with jungles and oceans.

I awoke some time later, it dawn. The sun shooting though my window in colors of red and orange. I sat up with a tired yawn, my stomach snarling at me. I pulled on my chestnut crop jacket and the green cloak that went over it and down the stairs I went to the mess hall, I grabbed a bite to eat. No one else was up yet, so I decided I'd go for a little private training with myself. I munched on a chunk of bread as I exited the headquarters going towards the stables. I got my horse, saddling her up while she nibbled on a carrot. I got my gear, as quietly as I could as to not wake anyone up. I pulled the stuff on, strapping it onto my back and hooking in the swords to the handles. I got on the black of my ebony steed and off we went.

I galloped her towards the forest and valley not far from here. I stopped the steed at the bottom of the massive trees, this was the place I had almost killed Lina. I chuckled at the memory. I unhooked my wires and zipped forward off the back of the horse using her head to lever myself forward I swung into the trees flying forward with no problem. I went towards one of the targets that was refined with a fresh slice of flabby skin on the back. I flew towards it pulling upward at the last second twisting in the air and zipping down slashing my sword across the fleshy material sending a massive chunk flying into a tree on my right.

I jumped upward hooking my wires onto a branch, using gravity to my advantage I swung upward higher into the trees bounding along lightly on the higher thinner branches. I jumped down as I reached the next target going to do the spinning attack on it, but I felt something go behind me. I turned to see my gas was only partially working. I gasped as the wires gave way and down I went towards the forest floor, unable to stop.