FicWad

With a startled jump, Lia woke and looked around the area. They were sheltered in a moist cave that had small channels of water running between the rock formations. An area surrounded by stalagmites had been selected for its dry surface and close range to the entrance.


Outside, the sound of heavy rainfall and thunder could be heard, and the chasm echoed the natural melody. In a flash of lightning, she could see Levi silhouetted against a wall of the cave mouth, his face turned toward the world beyond. She stood and plodded over to him, halting at his side and following his gaze.


As electricity shot across the sky once more, a Titan could be spotted resting on the ground roughly fifty meters away. Lia stepped back in surprise. How were they supposed to get out?


As though hearing her worries, Levi spoke. "I have been planning our move. We will have to leave just before sunup and head straight for deeper forest. If it wakes and corners us, we're screwed. We move out before then."


"We're in a slight clearing too. We'll have to move quickly." A noise behind them made her leap into the air in alarm.


"It's just the horse. I called him once you'd settled in." Lia's shoulders relaxed at this news, and she silently hoped hers had made it back home safely.


"Thank you for taking care of me," she then said shakily, holding back emotions and trying not to picture Kikka's gruesome end. "I was stupid again; I could have died."


"She was your best friend. For once, you weren't being an idiot. Revenge is something we all want some day. That's why we got to keep fighting. Those bastards took our freedom, and the Survey Corps is moved by vengeance."


"So...I guess I fail, huh?" she whispered, blinking at the ceiling and laughing mirthlessly. He turned to look at her, unable to ignore how much this meant to her. "I couldn't even ride or take care of myself. Once again, if it hadn't been for you, I would be..."


Lia bit her lip and felt trickles of hot liquid run down her cheeks at last. Levi frowned and stood, wiping them away and cradling her face. Intense blue eyes searched hazel as he gave her utmost sincerity.

"I'll be damned if I'm not with you always, saving your ass. I hope I'm there every time- so see you shine, or keep you going when you don't." Her lips quivered, and he kissed for reassurance. "I will be there because I love you."


It seemed like a long time before her heart started beating regularly again; and once it did, she rested her forehead to his clavicle. Gently, he led her to a seated position between his legs. He leaned against the rock and pulled her back to his chest before cradling her in his arms. Together, they looked out upon the storm, drinking in the moment while it lasted.


"When we get back, do I have to resign?" Lia questioned again, as no real answer had been given. She shook with the vibration of his deep chuckle.


"To be fair, we can hold off on that decision. I got a feeling things might go better when your best friend doesn't- er- I mean, without incidents involving personal attachment."


"I don't want to leave," she murmured. "See...there's this thing I have to do now, and don't ask me why because I can't explain it; and logically, I'm not needed, nor am I right for the job. But there's this real jerk...he's blunt, unrefined, cusses a lot and has bad grammar, bullies, bosses, and manipulates at times; but he's this unimaginable and inspirational warrior- he's a symbol of hope.


"Despite all of my better judgment, I fell in love with this man with more heart than I ever thought I could give. He doesn't need it, but I have to protect him. I can't do that anywhere else but here." There was a short pause, but then she was hugged from behind, Levi's cheek to hers. She could feel and hear his grin. Having given her feelings at last, she smiled softly and drifted back to sleep.


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"It's time to go," Levi mumbled to Lia hours later, having watched the sky getting lighter. The rain had ceased, and now the only sounds were a few birds beginning to chirp, the trees losing droplets, and the echo of the cave's stream. The woman in his arms inhaled deeply as she stirred and sat up. He could feel the circulation rush back into his arm like a thousand needles.


"Oh," she said, coming to. She stood rapidly and rushed to get the horse untethered. "Are we riding?"


"It might be a good idea for now to conserve gas. When the sun comes up, we may have to switch." She nodded and threw herself over the saddle, pushing herself far back to allow him room. Once he was on, they started out of the cavern, giving a wide berth to the slumbering Titan in their midst.


Lia's stomach growled loudly when they entered the shelter of the trees, and Levi turned to look at her with brows raised. She grinned sheepishly, and he smirked before quickening to a canter. The trees were fairly thin, but twists in direction were still needed on occasion, so full speed would be risky.


After a relative distance, he slowed and stopped. She watched him quizzically as he dismounted and handed her the reins. She took them in confusion and asked where he was going.


"I really got to shit."


"Charming..."


"It's barely sunup, and there's plenty of trees if needed. I'll be back soon." He jogged into the thick for privacy, and Lia bit her lip anxiously. She silently hoped he would be safe despite his vulnerability.


Early light filtered in through the leaves, dappled and warm. She smiled as birds jumped from branch to branch, greeting once another before they went looking for food. It was a gift to be able to take a moment to truly appreciate something they didn't have within the confinement of the town.


Her eyes fluttered closed and she inhaled deeply, enjoying the pure smell of the woodland. When she looked back up, a large sneering face stared back down at her. Her body froze in place; and through the initial shock, she wondered how she had managed not to hear an approaching Titan. Does it have stealth abilities?


After the few seconds taken for initial registration of the situation, she ordered the horse forward. It had made it only a short way before a foreign hand grasped her body. She screamed and writhed to try to reach her weapons, but the grip was tightly fastened around her holsters.


A short distance away, Levi's heart came to a sudden halt as her cry tore through the heavy vegetation. He heard her call his name, and he was immediately flying through the air in the greatest haste. How? The area was clear...the sun is barely even...


Ahead, he could see a four-meter class, and what looked like a very familiar uniform already in its mouth. However, Lia's screams were still loud and clear. His pulse quickened and he readied his muscles for attack. How could I be so stupid? I just left her there!



"You mother! Fucking! Monster! Shit!" She had reached her dagger at last, and was hanging from just above her knees, the rest of her legs clamped between massive teeth. She had driven the blade into its cheek repeatedly with each word, finishing with a long and furious battle cry.


"Bastard!" Levi bellowed, getting nearly close enough to latch onto the creature.


"Levi!" Lia relaxed her abdomen, swinging upside down from her hips and staring at him with relief. "I really went and did it this time. I got myself into a right, sticky-" She was cut off by her own yelp of alarm as the remainder of her legs were pulled in by a roll of the behemoth's tongue. As Levi's cables caught the Titan's pectorals and he raced forward, she outstretched her hand to him, and his burning eyes locked with hers.


He resisted temptation to grab her, whipping one blade to a backward position and readying for a spin strike to the jaw. Just when they were but a meter away, the air was filled with scarlet and a sickening screech. "No!" screamed the man as he was covered in thick, hot liquid.


In a whirl, he brought metal through cheek and muscle, and the Titan's jaw slacked enough for Lia's severed body to drop. He let out a chilling and vehement scream that left his throat raw, as he whipped across the front of the neck and then through the nape. The creature fell, just missing the place where its former prey lay on the ground.


Levi fell to the earth and rushed to her side. Lia's mouth was coated in bright red, and she coughed more onto the grass. He grabbed her hand and she gazed at him fondly through watery eyes. Don't look at me like that. I don't deserve it. I failed you.



"I am so proud," she choked, "to love you."


"Don't," he begged senselessly. He couldn't look at the rest of her- body broken and her innards spilling out in places. It was a miracle she was even still conscious.


She reached for him, her hand falling just short of his chin before weakness overcame her and she began to go limp. He thrust an arm beneath her shoulders and pulled her closer, calling her name. She could hear him as though very far away, and the image of the man she adored was blurring and growing faint into a dark tunnel.


"Don't leave me!" he wailed as the light faded from her. He clutched her to his chest and could not even feel his uniform absorb the vast amounts of claret. The pain tore through him like fire.


Her forehead was pressed to his cheek and hot tears ran down upon her as he wept, desperate to hold onto the warmth she had brought to his life. Where had it gone? All he could feel now was unending, unimaginable cold.


Gathering his nerves, he kissed her for the last time before removing his cloak and covered the visage he found breathtaking. He fastened it around what remained of her and whistled for his horse. On shaky knees, Levi stood a lifted the corpse and rested it in front of the saddle horn before mounting and urging the mare forward.


His hand secured the precious cargo, but he looked upward as he rode for the walls in full gallop. It was all he could do not to picture her as she had last been, severed and in pain; but the happy memories were also too hurtful to recall. The rising sun painted images of it dancing in her shimmering yellow hair while she smiled and laughed; and the gentle expression she wore only when looking at him, that made him feel like the day was always shining.


He bared his teeth, pushing the thoughts from his mind and dedicating himself to the present. What good will it do to think about it? She won't come back. The thought filled him with a boiling rage.


The gates rolled open at he made for them, and he didn't slow as he entered the walls. Villagers complained loudly and screamed as they dived out of the way. My parents live in Trost District, he could remember her saying.


Finally, he lessened speed, only to shout acrimonious requests for directions. "Llewellyn!" he snapped repeatedly, and at long last, someone pointed out a small house at the end of the street. He rushed the steed for it, coming to a halt at its steps and staring up at it in pain. This was her beginning.



He got down and pulled her into his arms, gradually climbing the staircase and bracing himself. Knocking, he then waited with his stomach in his throat. A woman with hazel eyes and long, braided blonde hair cracked the door open and peered through cautiously. She immediately widened it in alarm and yelled for her husband as she fell to her knees, clutching her chest.


Lia's father, tall and broad, made his way to the entrance, and Levi turned his face away from them as he handed over the remains of his cherished friend. His breath shook, and he clenched his blood-soaked hands into fists. The voice of humanity's greatest weapon quivered, but grew stronger as he continued to speak.


"I'm sorry I couldn't save her. You would have been proud. She improved herself with more dedication in her heart than half of the military could hope to have. She was..." He frowned and swallowed hard, turning back to them with an intense fire in his icy eyes. "...very important to me. And I swear on my own life, I will make every last Titan pay," he spat bitterly. Closing his eyelids and catching his breath, he gave them one final statement before turning to leave. "Thank you for your sacrifice. Her life mattered. Thank you for L...Lia."


He left them and swiftly made for the base without looking back. Upon arrival, he left his horse to its own, storming inside. As he went, voices echoed around him, frightened and curious as to why he was covered in red. A scream of fury tore through him as he ripped items off of shelves and onto the floor of the men's sleeping quarters. He dropped, entwining his fingers in his gore-covered hair, shaking in rage and wanting to change the harsh fate more than anything in the world.


The room swam in and out of focus as he knelt there for time in lengths he couldn't be sure of. The clock had stopped, and he felt emptiness, bitter and raw like the bite of winter. It froze his veins and paralyzed him. Slowly, the things around him came into focus, and he realized with mortification that he was covered with her.


With abhorrence and panic, he tore his clothing from his form and threw the pieces in the fireplace. Flames slowly began to lick at them, consuming the evidence of the day's horrors. He plunged his hands into a basin of water and scrubbed at them until they felt chafed; then splashed his face and hair until the liquid remaining in the bowl was dark. With trembling fingers, he dressed himself again and turned to face the room.


Streaks of crimson were on the walls, small pools having also collected where he had lain. Levi rushed from the room and returned shortly with a brush and a bucket of clean water. He began to wash it all away in a craze, swiping and lashing the bristles.


At last, he reached the floor, bringing the brush back and forth, in and out of the bucket. It seemed in vain, despite how many times he rinsed and exfoliated the surface. In the pattern of the wood and the texture of the walls, he would always see it.


No matter how bare he stripped the floors, the blooms of his love's blood could be seen through his eyes. They were there and would forever torment him, always begging to be erased and forgotten. Like bittersweet roses, they would be a reminder of all humanity had lost, and the sacrifices they had made to overcome the greatest obstacles in pursuit of reclamation; even if that purpose had begun simply by signing the wrong piece of parchment.