Stuck

Warnings: Spoilers for episode 20 and 21, M/M – Levi/Eren

A/N 1: Chapters will be ~1.000 words long.

A/N 2: Probably, there will be a lot of digressions as I have not read the manga and the anime is not finished yet.

A/N 3: Pardon my mistakes as I am not a native speaker. Any beta-reader volunteers? ^_^

Chapter 2: Beyond the Walls – Fight

Lance Corporal Levi was glad that he had listened to Chief Irvin, when he told him to resupply before going back to find his team. At that moment he was confused and did not see the reason to do it but after some careful thinking he figured it out on his own: the female titan had probably reverted back to her human form and at the moment was mingling in their ranks, pretending to be one of them. He hastened his movements. There was something thick and foreboding in the air. Chief Irvin was preparing to regroup and the Legion members were swift to oblige and follow his orders.

Levi separated from the already moving group of people and sped towards the place he had left his team members in. Not even one minute passed after his departure, as he saw a smoke signal – his signal – being fired into the sky. His eyes widened and his pulse quickened. He unconsciously reached for his hip, where the signal flare gun was fastened and confirmed that it was still in place, untouched. He almost growled – it seemed this damned titan was bent on capturing Eren.

Corporal Levi took a deep breath, pressed his lips into a thin line and shot his grapple hooks into a further tree with a great precision. He swung forward and let the momentum steer him. Soon he was almost flying through the woods, trees blurring before his eyes. He released the hooks and they reeled back in while he did a few somersaults and quickly turned his body to the left. He shot the grapple hooks out once again, activated gas mechanism and the flight continued. His speed increased. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted something weaving through the trees on his right. Taking a better look, he glimpsed Mikasa, Eren’s friend he assumed. She was moving towards the same direction as him; their goal probably being the same – to reach Eren and the team. He moved away from her line of sight without losing speed or direction – there was no need to alert her of his presence.

Levi reached the battle ground first. He saw his team captain hanging from a branch like a ragdoll – dead. A little further he found his other team members – also dead. Apparently, the female titan had reverted back into her titan-self. He gritted his teeth, eyes shadowing in suppressed anger and helplessness.  He cast one last glance as if saying good bye to his old friends and team members. His eyes lingered on Petra. Soft breeze was brushing her hair and she looked almost peaceful, lying there, hugging the tree… Just her glassy eyes, void of emotion and life that stared into nothingness and streaks of blood marring her face ruined the peaceful image. The corporal turned away. He wanted to scream, to shout, to rage all over but it was not the time or place for it. He swung forward again, his 3D Maneuver Gear whirring softly as if opposing his mood.

He was speeding through the forest, hoping to find Eren. The boy was not among the dead, therefore probably still alive. Captured or still on the run, he could only guess. After about two minutes of weaving through the trees he saw the enemy. It was engaged in a battle: swatting around with its hands and kind of ‘dancing’ in a small clearing. He was about to charge in and attack it, when he saw that it was fighting not Eren but Mikasa. The girl probably managed to catch up with the titan and interrupted its advances. Mikasa swept at its legs with double blades and made the titan fall to its knees, shaking the forest ground in the process.

Levi made a decision then. He turned away from the women engaged in a fight and took flight once again. In about one minute he saw Eren taking a turn behind some trees. Corporal Levi did not hesitate; he snatched the young soldier by his torso and proceeded carrying him without losing any speed.

Levi did not show it in any way but he was glad the brat was safe and sound. He would never admit it out loud but he liked the youth. The lad had this fire and conviction in him. He was just as determined as he himself was; they both wanted to rid the world of the titans.

After a short conversation with Eren he was about to release him and tell him the reason he steered him away from his course, when they heard loud thumping sounds and soon after, they saw the accursed female titan emerging from behind the trees. Levi could not stop the curse that left his mouth. He was hoping Mikasa could delay it longer. Now he had no choice but to fight it. He ordered Eren to get the hell away from here and faced the persistent enemy. Still airborne, he drew his blades, released the hooks and spun in the momentum, making the spins look faster than they were. His blades made contact and cut the titan’s upper arm. It grunted. Levi perched on its arm and embedded his blade in its flesh, to help him gain firmer ground.

“Did you come back to get your arms and legs cut off?” He taunted the female titan remembering his monologue with her in her captivity.

She snarled and swung her other arm at Levi, who at that moment aimed and shot the hook at her left leg, swinging away from her arm. She caught herself at the right moment so as not to punch herself and jumped kicking out her leg.

Levi was just in time to reattach the hook to a tree and round back on the now angry titan. He managed to get multiple attacks on her, slashing here and there, trying to do as much damage as he could. He had to be honest to himself – he could not kill it. All he could do – was wound it and hinder its movements enough to escape with Eren and mask their tracks. With this thought he attacked its limbs with vigor, slashing as hard and as deep as he could without breaking his blades or his own neck.

The female titan fell on her knees for the second time that day as Levi attacked the back of her knees over and over again. She was becoming more and more irritable as the corporal buzzed around her like a fly, when finally, she snapped. She swung her hand out and struck. The corporal was in the middle of a manoeuvre, airborne, vulnerable and caught unprepared. He dipped to the side but there was not enough time to completely avoid the hit so he braced himself for the incoming impact. A second later he dropped to the ground like a sack of rice. A sharp pain shot through his back and Levi saw varicoloured dots dancing before his eyes. He sucked in a sharp breath of air and wondered, what now?

TBC