FicWad

The sun was hot, burning the back of uncovered and perspiring necks. Lia found herself unwinding her golden blonde braided bun before long, and let it line her back in a lengthy plait. It might keep her from a sunburned nape, but it sure as hell was warmer.


Up ahead, Levi was fastening a white scarf around his collar, leaving it to hang in a ruffled fashion in the front. It suited him. Lia huffed at not having thought of it herself, as it would now be awkward to copy. Instead, she wiped her kerchief across her forehead and took slow breaths.


They had the horses at a steady pace in the long distance formation, not wanting to rush the wagons unless necessary. A bit of wind would be nice, but it was naught but a daydream of the travelers under the cloudless sky. They had changed direction due to Titans about four times, but had not yet engaged.


Conversations were breaking out all around the group; mostly snippets of complaints about heat exhaustion. Lia remained silent, not wanting to add whining to insufficient ability. There was no need to grind salt in the wound.


Still, she found herself wanting companionship. It didn't seem fair that her entire military career so far had been miserable. Perhaps, had she not been so ostracized, she could have improved her talents. At this point, it seemed moronic to build relationships; she probably wouldn't even return home.


With a hard, dry swallow, she choked back thoughts of the parents expecting her to return safely. Did they suspect her knack for finding trouble would inhibit her from ever seeing them again, or were they blissfully ignorant? She closed her eyes briefly and focused attention back to riding.


"Oh blessed Ymir!" could be heard from the front. Lia looked up in curiosity and noticed the faint outlines of trees in the distance. Oh please don't let it be a mirage, she thought desperately. Water was sounding better and better by the minute, and they would undoubtedly stop before getting within distance of certain Titan contact. They would have to be constantly vigilant.


Sure enough, they were no more than a few paces further when the commander called them to a halt. Orders were given to watch the flanks on each side, but Lia was lucky enough to not be on the first shift. She dismounted and gratefully accepted a canteen of warm water, guzzling it greedily.


Panting, she headed forward and tapped a teammate on the shoulder. She handed the jug over and took his place guarding the rest of the group. After a couple of minutes, the commander called everyone to attention. The air around them was filled with the sound of clinking metal as the troops verified their 3D Maneuvering Devices.


The equipment consisted of gas chambers that enabled the wearer to release cables from their waist. The wires ended in grapples that gripped various surfaces, and the user could swing from place to place with hasty agility. These hooks were released by triggers set on the handles of blades designed to cut neatly through a Titan's nape. Spare blades were kept in side holsters that were about half the size of an adult leg. Gas compression would then shorten the lines to pull them closer at faster speeds.


The whole device was cumbersome to say the least. Not everyone could manage to use it, just as sure as not everyone was fit to be a soldier. Yet others seemed more at ease swinging from cable to cable than they did on their own two legs.


Shadows stretched in long arcs from the group prepping to face this massive foe. They readied blades and ensured all equipment was good to go. Lia stood straight in salute, like a few others that were ready for action- or in her case, to get this over with. Abruptly, a higher ranking official marched up to a former classmate to the left, fairly near Levi.

"Stop holding your blades like that; they weren't designed to be held in such a fashion. Who do you think you are?" The man shot a glare in Levi's direction as though blaming him for purposefully inspire this new recruit to hold one sword pointed to the back. Levi frowned slightly and sheathed his weapons wordlessly, then straightening into a salute. The remainder of the squad mimicked the action.


A red flare to the right was fired off into the sky very close to their position, and the effect was immediate. Mounts were taken and the ground began to look like scattering ants as they fled to find adequate territory for maneuvering. More flares were fired into the sky, and orders were shouted to engage.


Lia threw herself onto her horse, catching the saddle horn right beneath her ribs and losing wind. She coughed and scrambled madly, unable to suppress the idea that halting in such an unprepared fashion was poor tactic, as much as she had needed a drink. Titans were fast, and no one seemed ready.


As she kicked at her steed, she heard the shrill screams as the enemy closed in on them. She stared up for a brief shocked moment, her mouth agape, as the equestrian reared. The classroom did not remotely prepare for the intimidation of these creatures.


The Titan stood, massive and leering, human in familiar ways, but alien enough to make her skin crawl. It stooped and reached for a nearby meal, and Lia wasted no more time. She gave a hard kick beneath the stirrups and heard the wind roar in her ears. She needed to reach the forest to have the best chance of survival.


Even in the sheer fleet of panic, one had to admire the Survey Corps. Between the rush for a battle-friendly environment, seasoned soldiers looped back to tag team the pursuing predator. Within seconds, the ground trembled with its fall.


Breath caught in short, painful snags in Lia's throat by the time she reached the woods. Already, there were other Titans hot on their trail. She grabbed at her waist and pulled the trigger, watching as a hook attached to a nearby branch and rearing as it ripped her from her saddle.


The primary goal was not to perish in this first mission. The rest was a bonus, right? But was that really following orders? There was always this impending weight of guilt at what a burden she was. It crossed her mind that she should perhaps quit before becoming harm to others, but the idea of dying by criminal sentence for abandonment kept her pulling the triggers time and time again.


A strangled yell came from behind, and Lia glanced over her shoulder. One of her classmates was gripped firmly in a gigantic hand and slowly rising toward a down-turned mouth. Lia gasped and turned around, making her way back to help.


I'm going to be too late! she thought in a frenzy. Just as she swung toward an adjacent tree, she watched a familiar pair of shoulders disappearing into the moist cavernous hell. It was followed by a sickening crunch that made her stomach flip. Tears sprang to her eyes at the sheer horror.


Suddenly, she collided with something very solid that was also traveling in high speed. She felt her wires wrap and screamed as she twisted and came to a mid-air halt against a warm figure. Eyes streaming and ears ringing, she fought the desire to pass out and instead tried to focus on the current situation.


A pair of steely blue eyes were glaring back at her from behind heavy lids. It faded in and out of sight for a moment but gradually became clearer. As she realized what had occurred, she nearly died of embarrassment.


Her cable was intertwined with a matching braided cord belonging to none other than Levi Ackerman. After collision, they had been left hanging with their bodies pressed against each other. A blush rapidly crept up her cheeks, and her breath became shaky and uneven.


Levi frowned and snarled, "could you at least try not to be completely-" He was cut short as the Titan finished its snack and reminded them that its lack of digestive tract knew no end for appetite. It stretched its arm out and Levi launched another hook. They were yanked roughly to the side and out of the way, still entangled and not out of the clear. Lia, sinking into shock, barely felt the man's arm bracing her waist.


He pulled the messy cords free and took off running, dragging her along while his free hand worked furiously to untie their precious tools. He launched them upward and dropped her around the side of a tree on a branch and stabled her in a crouch. Heaving a sigh of frustration that her stunned state had put her out of commission, he rocketed skyward and back to the Titan's direct line of vision.


Like a hypnotist, he swung from side to side, drawing his opponent's gaze. At last, he got a direct shot to the shoulder and whipped around behind the enormous beast. With an agile twist, Levi was a whirlwind of blades, blood, and steam from freshly severed flesh of the abnormally high-temperature creatures.


Shaking, Lia brought herself to her feet slowly, pressing her hand against the side of the trunk to steady herself. Just as she reached near height, a familiar ally dropped lithely in front of her, whipping blood from his blades. He faced her with an unwavering gaze.


Lia opened her mouth to speak and immediately felt her body heave. Doing her best not to aim in his direction, she turned and retched over the side of a branch. Levi's face contorted with abhorrence as he witnessed her sickness, and he took rapid steps backward to distance himself.


With a sway, Lia stumbled toward the edge, her legs betraying her safety and leading her right over the very edge that had been victim to her stomach contents. Quickly, Levi caught hold of her wrist and pulled her back onto the rough bark. She stared dazed at the blue sky through the leaves before his face came looming into view.


"This won't do," he said simply. She tried to make sense of this through her exhaustion and buzzing brain. "I've never seen something so pathetic."


"I'm…so tired…so sorry," she groaned feebly. Levi straightened and glanced around. It looked like things were coming under control for the most part. A four-meter class remained, and was dueling a group of vengeful assassins. They had scraped by with a small number of causalities. It looked like a handful of people sported injuries.


Inhaling deeply with reluctance, he turned back to his own present issue. Lia was splayed over the sides of their perch. Her eyes were closed and her chest fell with uneven breaths. Shock had taken her system at last.


He pulled the signature green cloak from his back and lifted her shoulders. Using his and hers, he made a tight wrap around her body for compression and hoisted her up with a grunt. She hung limp in his arms, completely unaware of her shameful predicament.


"What a pain," he grumbled to himself as he searched for a way to get them to the ground. Luckily for Lia, he found one before anyone spotted them, and she was led to an approaching cart. He climbed up and dropped her, carelessly dumping her body to the floor.


"Levi!" scolded a nearby comrade with short, spiky black hair.


"Kikka!" he mocked back, taking a seat in the wagon.


"You don't just drop an injured teammate."


"You do if she's a deadweight," he responded, followed by a long pause. It was too honest to really be a joke. "She's only in a state of shock. Her pal became an afternoon snack," he growled bitterly. "You should probably assist with the casualties."


Kikka scampered off, leaving him bored and to his own vices. He watched Lia for a bit, puzzling over her decision to join the only branch guaranteed to have enemy contact. It was a complete mystery as to how she had made it through training in the first place. He had never seen such a deplorable excuse for a soldier.


"Find yourself a friend?" joked a nearby blonde dryly. Levi lifted his gaze and locked it on the speaker.


"Are we leaving soon?" The question cut off the humor entirely. Erwin stared around to make an assessment.


"I'd say any minute now, we can make our way back. We're making sure the bleeding has stopped on Nele's leg. The dead have been rounded up, so as soon as that tourniquet is done and she's on board, we're set."


Levi turned a glare to the side, suppressing resentment for the fact that they had any losses at all. This damned war needed to end. The thought of facing the families eagerly awaiting the presence of a love one that would never return, sickened him. There were only a few they were even able to recover in the first place.


With a heave, the wagon started forward. Those not tending to the downed soldiers rode alongside, leading horses that no longer had riders. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, casting a red glow upon the once battlefield as though illuminating the bloodshed.