Daisy | Levi Ackerman

Chapter 4 - Inner Conflicts

[Celine]

The next few days, we were woken up by Gretel at dawn. She said that that was going to be our wake-up schedule, at five in the morning. We began to jog around the perimeter of the place at such an early hour. When we came back, we had to do push-ups and sit-ups on the grounds as the sun began to take its place in the azure morning sky. Mikasa was my partner, and it did wonders for my self-esteem.

"You look tired already." She remarked, with her same lazy eyes, as she held my knees against her chest. I pumped up my energy to pull myself back up everytime, but my abdomen was beginning to hurt like hell.

"Do I really?" I asked again, struggling at every rise and fall.

She nodded. "I'm worried you might pass out."

"Don't. It's alright. I can do it." I replied, keeping my pace. "It's just... I'm not used to it anymore. My uncle monitored my exercising all the time, but now that I've grown old enough to move on my own he'd stopped checking."

"So you stopped training, too?" She asked.

"Well, not stopped... Rather slowed down." I replied, pushing out to the limits of my sore muscles. It felt like I was being stretched in a rack and the sweat began to seep from inside my beige shirt. "What about you? You used to all of this?"

"I wasn't much of a fitness enthusiast." She replied. "But somehow... I can just do it. It's strange and unnatural, but I don't feel any difficulty exerting force. It's been like that since I was a kid."

I looked around the surroundings, dotted with other partnered trainees counting their sit-ups. Their silent pants can be heard collectively. "Yeah. It's only been a week and yet you already stand out among all of us. I almost can't believe you haven't trained when you were young."

"I can't believe I could, too. But it's useful. And as long as it is, I'll use it." She said. "The only thing that matters is surviving. I don't care about the ranks."

"Don't you want to get into the Military Police? Can't you only do that by being in the Top Ten?" I asked, sweat pouring endlessly. I felt sticky under this damp shirt.

"I couldn't care less about which Regiment to join. I'll go wherever Eren is." Mikasa answered, not meeting my gaze.

I absorbed what she said for a moment, and began my question. "So you guys are lovers?"

"H-He's family." She replied, blushing faintly. I giggled, even through the soreness I felt in my arms.

"But so is Armin, right? But why didn't you mention him?" I teased, making her blush even harder. There were countless of times that I had seen her act a certain way around our golden boy, Eren.

"It's not like that. Of course I care about Armin, too- but I have to make sure Eren survives at least a couple of minutes in the battlefield. The only way I can do that is by being where he is." She stumbled with her words, making me smile teasingly at her.

"Really? I personally wager that Armin should be the one protected, no offense meant." I said, trying to sound absent-minded. "For Eren, though a little short on the temper, is at least showing self-reliance. Are you certain you need to protect him?"

Our gazes met, hers as blank as ever, and mine teasing. I laughed, shaking my head. "Quit it, Celine. Or I'll let go of your legs right now." Was all she said, but I couldn't force in a giggle. My stifling made her smile, and that was enough bliss to go on for the day.

We went on for a few more minutes doing the sit-ups before the partners switched. As I held Mikasa down and watched her do the sit-ups with ease, I suddenly felt insecure with my own physical skill. This was the reason I was having second thoughts with enlisting back then, because I knew I could be physically mediocre. But I couldn't let my brilliant mind go to waste, and the only way to get into that strategy team or partner up with Section Commander Hanji was to train from the bottom-up.