Love & War || Levi Ackerman

Chapter 9 | False Alarms

Third Person View

When Levi and Mikasa reached the foot of the forest, the rest of the crew were already there with Commander Erwin. Some were getting temporarily treated on the wagons, and some are gathered in small groups to talk while they were waiting for the higher-ups to order a retreat to the wall.

Mikasa went to get Eren tended to the wagons while Levi made his way towards Erwin. The blonde commander was confused when he arrived alone. "I'm glad you're back. Where's Sara?"

Levi looks away, teeth gritting together in both anger and annoyance. "Mikasa ran out of gas after we retrieved Eren from the female titan, so she switched cylinders with her for us to make it back. She stayed to fight off the titans surrounding us."

Worry and dread washed over Erwin's face as soon as Levi finished reporting to him. It was expected of Sara, but he never thought that a time like that would actually come.

He looks back at the Forest of Giant Trees, sighing out the clenching in his chest. "We have no choice but to head back now." He said, though it was hard for him to. Leaving a comrade, the strongest female soldier they have, is a very tough decision to make. She was defenseless without gas to make her gear operate, and chances of her already dead somewhere deep inside the forest is high.

"I'll stay and wait for her." Levi said. He knew there's no way going around Erwin if it costed so many lives just to wait for one. They could be ambushed in the clearing and it will be hard for them to escape if that happens. "Leave my horse and hers."

"No, Levi. Sara already sacrificed herself. I can't have you dead too." Erwin said sternly. His eyes shifted down to the latter's cold ones. Levi acting like this is only natural. He may not see it himself, but he loves his partner more than he thought he would. "Let it go. She could be dead already."

"You don't know that!" Levi snaps.

"I do! Sara—"

"Commander Erwin,"

One of the cadets saluted to the two, forcing them to stop their argument. Erwin glanced at Levi hesitantly for awhile before nodding at the cadet.

"We managed to find this." He lifts a green cloak that had the wings of liberty on the back. Levi's eyes widened to see the blood stain on the edge of the cloak. "We believe that it was Captain Sara's cloak because of the hidden embroidery on the lower edge."

Levi harshly takes the cloak from the cadet and looked at the white embroidery on the edge of the cloth.

'S.W'

"W-where did you find this?" He asks, eyes still focused on the embroidered initials.

"It was hanging off a tree branch when we found it, Sir." The cadet replied. "The blood was still fresh when we found it."

It wasn't just Levi who was shocked by the outcome. Erwin himself had his eyes wide as he stared down at the bloody cloak like it was unreal. Both their bodies froze for more than a minute.

When Hanji came towards them, it was the only time they snapped out of their trance.

"Hey! We're all good to go now!" She says with a cheerful voice.

Hanji saw the horrified looks on both their faces and looked down at the material they were both staring at. "Is that..."

"Yes." Levi says through gritted teeth. "We have no more time to waste here. Let's get going."

He jerked towards his own horse, his grip on the cloth becoming tighter as he thought back to their distressed situation back inside the forest.

"I'll be right behind you, she said. I promise to come back, she said." He thought in rage. "You're such a bad fucking liar, Sara."