~*~

WITHIN WALL MARIA ~ (Hanji's Pov:)

Things took a turn for the worst.............

Finding out that Zeke's spinal fluid was in the wine bottles was a big plot twist, especially when we only found out when an anti-marleyan swung a wine bottle at one of the child warriors head. Even to add onto our misfortune, Floch and the Yeagerists took over the restaurant. Lena and I are bound in rope being pulled around like dogs behind Floch, who seems to think he has an idea how everything works.

Even so, after Floch discovered Akira's disappearance he inflicted punishment upon Lena who took a brutal beating and then protected me again taking the brunt of every force of attack upon me. 

Now the rest of the young children from the scouts were now behind bars, thanks to the Yeagerists abruptly taking charge of everything. 

Walking up the dark stairs towards the rooftop of the new cadets that were currently being trained, my footsteps felt heavy. Following orders behind a child was pathetic, but knowing we might have a way to divert this attack back towards them gave me little confidence. It was above my control at this point not knowing what to do, but I had to stall Floch from meeting Zeke.

"You're damn lucky Akira's pet keeps saving your ass," Floch bitterly comments, as our footsteps echo further up we went to the open balcony of the cadet corps. "Just be lucky I'm keeping her alive.......she knows exactly where Akira exactly is. So........hurry up!"

My jaw clenches with frustration as my eyes flicker to see Lena's eyes still filled with strong tenacity, despite her heavy wounds. I'm so sorry Lena......

The doors slowly open with a heavy creak following with the bright light shining upon us, as my eyes fall upon Shadis who stood amongst many young cadets. 

Shadis' eyes widen in confusion, "Hanji? Lena?!"

Floch and a few of his men approach further"Long time no see, Commandant," he greets, sarcastically. "Sorry to interrupt, but we'll be occupying this facility for a while. As you may have heard, we're a group known as the Yeagerists......" before they all directed their rifles before all the young cadets and even Shadis. "......and if you don't wanna die, you'll follow our instructions to the letter."

"Tch....congratulations, you finally figured out where you stand Floch!" Shadis comments, with clarification. "No one gives damn about your gang, there's only one way you can get our attention. That's to grab a bunch of guns and start waving them around. How long did--"

Gunfire echoes not far from where I stood, as Floch's bullet bounces from the ground with force.

"What's with you?!" I snap angrily, under my restraints.

Floch rolls his eyes subtly, "Barely missed......I figured I could speed things up by shooting the Commandant in the foot," he lowers his rifle, nonchalantly. 

Shadis' eyes darken, "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, this isn't about you," Floch answers abruptly, as he walks past the Commandant and stood before the young cadets. "Our movement doesn't have any use for old men with hard heads and little else.............."

I stood there helpless in that moment, not knowing Floch's next move. How could he just almost shoot a peer of his, or mostly his own commandant that trained him back in their cadet days.

"Listen, cadets!!!!" Floch announces loudly, with a firm stance. "Starting right now, this is your time! Eldia's in grave danger, but we Yeagerists are doing everything we can to protect her. We've pledged our hearts and souls! We are fighting! Not for the fossils in command of our military, but for the people of the island we call home! if you keep complying with the archaic mindset of our leaders, then the day will soon come when your forced to watch helplessly as our enemies crush us!!!! So I ask each of you this: who would you rather be? Someone who lives to see the future alongside Eren Yeager, the leader of Eldia? Or someone who dies, alongside Commandant Keith Shadis and the antiquated ways of the past?"

For a moment I thought he was dumb to even suggest such a thing, knowing none of the young cadets would even side with him. However I was wrong.

A few soldiers approach Floch and soon stood before him, slamming their right fists against their left side with a determined look, "For the sake of Edlia's future, we dedicate our hearts!!!!" they all yell in unison.

Floch nods, "That's good, but now I need to see you demonstrate your resolve," gesturing towards Shadis behind him. "I want you to beat up the Commandant here mercilessly, until he can't stand anymore!"

Even by the shock on their faces, they weren't even prepared to do such a thing, "What?" they gasp in horror.

Floch slams a fist against Shadis' chest firmly, "He represents the obsolete traditions that we need to do away with, so purge him at once!!!" He orders sternly, his eyes flicker across the wavering crowd. "Anyone who refuses will be detained!"

My eyes narrow, "Come on, this is ridiculous!!!!" I snap angrily, about to step forth with a soldier held me back. "You've made your point, Floch!--"

"Hanji!" Shadis cuts me off, as my head perks up at his voice. His hand was held in front of me to say anything further with a steady composure, "No matter how many of these weak brats come at me, there won't be nearly enough!"

With those few of his words enough to patronise the young cadets, the aftermath was horrifying to look at. I couldn't even stop it as they all began to beat him to a bloody pulp, as my anger began to rise and rise. The cadets fists bruised and bloody with Shadis' own blood on their hands, as he laid there motionless with blood seeping from his head wound they landed. 

"Well done....we're delighted to welcome each of you," Floch smirks, before his eyes flicker to my own as I gaze upon his body. "Now then, if it's not too inconvenient......guide us to where Zeke's being held," before walking towards the stairs.

Shit.......

Standing there I couldn't help this guilt driven inside me, watching one of my own kind being brutality beaten without mercy. He was innocent despite his old ways, in which Akira and I grew up along years ago. How can I do this? What would Erwin do in this situation, or what would he plan next? He was always a step ahead or behind, but he knew........

"Commander Hanji.....hey......let's go," Floch halts, while my eyes remain morbid on Shadis' bloody body. 

Akira..........what would you do now? How would you have handled that? All this? Dammit, I'm not even sure what to do anymore but hope for her own survival.

~*~

OUTSIDE GIANT FOREST ~ (Akira's Pov:)

The sun was setting to a deep orange hue.........

"You doing okay?" Levi asks, whilst his thumb traced over my knuckles tenderly. "You still must be recovering from that explosion........"

Shaking my head I leaned against his shoulder and my head rests on his, "It's fine, just feeling abit......exhausted," I admit softly, as he brought my hand to his mouth and kisses my knuckles tenderly. "You know......you can be the most coldest man, but you definitely switch when around me. That's something admire, when you know where your heart lies and knows......"

He sighs and presses a chaste kiss to my cheek, "Well I did say don't get used to it, but.......our vows meant something more permanent......" he admits softly, as he lifts his hand and wipes away something. ".....just a small cut, anyway--"

"W-Whe--......" Zeke hoarsely utters out, his skin slowly sealing up the muscle tissue all over his body making it look spotty and ghastly.

Levi's demeanour soon changes quickly, "Are you awake?" he asks, when Zeke grimaces and goes to move when Levi holds his hand up. "Hey. Stop that. No sudden moves. I stuck a thunder spear in your gut, and attached the fuse to the wire wrapped around your neck. Squirm too much and you'll be blown in half. At least."

Zeke takes a moment to regsiter what Levi warned him for a moment, before he grimaces and groans in pain and agony within his restraints. The dark blotches of muscle still visible to the eye, as steam continues to emit around him before he vomits over the back of the cart away from us.

Sharing an unamused expression to Levi, he turns back to Zeke and clicks his teeth in irritation by the filth and irritation. Taking a moment I knew what he was about to do, as I shuffled to the front to give Levi some space.

"I bet you wish you were dead right now," Levi assumes; his cold eyes harden more with a glowering expression. "Not that I sympathise. Bastard...." before he stood up with anger drawing his blade out from his ODM gear. "....you used my comrades like cheap toys! When you planned this, did you think you'd end up here? Sobbing into your own filth?!!"

With the slice of his blade he cuts up Zeke's feet in half, earning a piercing cry from Zeke. The screams was agonisingly and annoyingly painful to listen, but for some reason it made me feel better after what he had done to my men.

"Shut your mouth! I have no choice but to hack you into pieces!!!" Levi continuously slices up Zeke's feet and legs, with no mercy. "If you don't, you'll turn into a titan again!"

The sound of flesh tearing and being sliced meets my ears pleasingly, before Levi's attacks slowly die down leaving Zeke to bleed out and to slowly regenerate his legs.

".....ahh....hey, Levi, w-Where are my glas...ses?" Zeke's voice comes out raspy, like he inhaled smoke and ash at the same time. 

Levi tilts his chin down, "Huh? What's it matter?" he scoffs, bitterly. "You don't have any need for glasses anymore."

With that Levi turns back to me and hops over and perches himself at the drivers seat, and takes the reigns while I glance back. Swallowing thickly feeling my throat grow numb, was because the guilt churning in my stomach. The many soldiers I killed by my own hands, my own damn fucking soldiers. Knowing their blood stained my hands, it left me more guilty before I knew titans were humans once long ago.

~*~

Heavy rain began to pelt down upon us.......

Thankfully with our cloaks I drape it over my head as I leaned against Levi, gathering his warmth whole we travelled in comfortable silence. We both were grieving in our own way, but his body was slowly relaxing against my own bit by bit seen he was pissed off. His staggering breath leaves him every so often, hearing the pitter patter of the rain over my cloak soaking my bangs a bit as it rolls into my hood.

"I'm sorry......"

Levi's head tilts to my lowered gaze of guilt, feeling it eat away at me. "What for?" he questions, before he slowly register's my apology. "No.......no don't do that, it was that furry bastards fault who got them killed. You only did it to survive, you did it to help me get that four eyes before he could reach his ultimate goal.....so please, don't be sorry."

"Still........" I utter out, as my palms were facing the sky gathering droplets of water feeling them as if painted in red. "...........I kil--"

"Don't do this to yourself, my love," He whispers, vehemently. His hand stretches to take my hand in his and squeezes it gently, as water drips down our fingertips. "We've done this for years, killing titans before we knew...........my hands are red too. We can share that together, you know that........Hanji has her hands red, Erwin's hands, Miche's hands........each commanding officer and soldier's have their hands red. We can't take it back......."

He soon presses a warm wet kiss to my cheek from the rain, before he tugs me closer to him as we continue riding along the dirt road with Zeke in a dazed and weakened state laying under the cold wet rain.

"The.....only way to save us Eldians....." His voice comes out raspy, as my head lifts up. "......is to put us out of our misery."

Levi glances over his shoulder subtly before tugging the reigns back, coming to a halt in the middle of the soggy wet road. 

"Tch, that was your plan? Mercy Killings?" Levi scoffs. "Well, you're about to die inside a titan's stinking mouth, listening to the sound of your body being chewed into tiny pieces. I'd say that's pretty merciful way to kill you, right?"

"......"

Zeke doesn't reply as my jaw tightens, feeling myself getting angry just by looking at the titan's faces of my soldiers.

Turning around I stood up, "When you consider the way that you stole our comrades lives," I utter out, bitterly.

"I stole nothing," Zeke utters out, hoarsely. His eyes were lifeless and hollow, "Actually, I saved them.....them and the children they would've borne. Their deaths saved them from this cruel world..."

Levi steps over and draws his blade, "It looks like your legs are starting to grow back--" He mentions, blatantly with his grip ready to cut his legs again. 

"MR KSAVER! I HOPE YOU'RE STILL WATCHING!!!!!!" Zeke abruptly screams out, as he yanks his head back pulling on the string around his throat. Everything felt like it was in slow motion, registering the fact that the string breaks off from the thunderspear with a chiming ring.

"Akira!!!!!!" Levi's voice yells out, desperately. 

The faint echoes of realisation settles in when everything turns to a blinding explosion, as my eyes widen in horror reaching for Levi seeing him trying to reach me.

"Lev--!!!!!!!"

The explosion cuts me off as a heavy shockwave following, before my body went flying as everything went black instantly.

~*~

What just happened........?

The sound of fire burning and crackling not far from me, and the smell of burning flesh burns my nose as thick black smoke covers the sky. The constant ringing fades in and out made my head grow more dizzy, with my eyes slowly adjusting to my surroundings. My adrenaline was running so fast I couldn't feel anything, as I push my body to my knees only to collapse into the puddle of muddy water.

"L-Levi.......?" I hoarsely utter out, before my eyes widen pushing myself with all my strength looking for him only to cough up blood from the impact. Choking on my saliva and blood, I could taste the metallic lingering in my throat.

My eyes flicker around anxiously only for pain to shoot through my body, inhaling sharply clutching at my sore ribs from the first explosion the other day with the Premier. Trying to push away the discomfort, my eyes fall upon the burning wagon and burning horses that laid dead by the explosion. Blood rolls down one side of my face, only being able to see from one eye as I smear it away feeling my body trembling. 

My arm holds my stomach from the heavy blow from the timber, as I pull out a sharp piece of wood in my arm as blood gushes out.

"Levi!!!" I cry out, before my eyes fall upon a body. My breath hitches pushing myself up to my feet again with every bit of strength, and rushed over to his side only to find him out cold. Tears threaten to spill finding his skin growing colder, and the ghastly sight across his face. "Oh god......fuck........no....no, my love......stay with me.....please?"

No response drew from him, as I check his body to find his hand missing his index and middle finger on his right hand. 

"B-baby........please?" I whisper hoarsely, feeling suddenly nauseous holding my mouth when I hear thundering footsteps. Despair ran through my body, as my breath grew shaky turning to see a titan gathering up Zeke's corpse into it's belly? "What.......I don't......"

"Hey!!!!"

My wet locks fall from the last string of my hair tie, flicks to the side to see soldiers cautiously walking towards us with rifles up and aimed. Trying to understand who was leading them, it soon falls upon Floch then to see Hanji held Hostage before them. I held Levi close to my chest not knowing the extent of my injuries, trying to provide warmth for Levi as best I could not even sure Levi's heart was beating.

"Wait......that's, Captain Levi? Section Commander Akira?"

"No idea what happened, but lucky us!" Floch soon approaches us, with a mocking grin. "One of our biggest threats is a bloody mess...."

"Maybe I can put a hole in his head and save the suffering--" A soldier suggests, stepping forward with his riflel

Anger slowly ran it's course through my body as I dangerously glare right at him, "Don't you fucking dare!" shielding my body over Levi's, despite my injuries.

Hanji steps close to me as she falls to her knees, while my body was trembling from the second explosion and almost losing my husband. 

"There's no need," Hanji spoke coldly, giving me a look as if she has some sort of plan. "He was caught in a thunderspear explosion, at point blank range. It shredded his guts, killed him instantly......for what I can tell...."

Floch scoffs nudging his head towards two of his soldiers, "Grab the bitch," 

Without warning two of them grab me forcing me to let go of Levi, but I thrash against them with anger. Rage was I all I could feel instead, seeing only red since I woke up from blacking out. The soldier's grunt against my strength that I had little of, before pulling me away as my breath hitches, "Don't do anything to Levi! I swear--"

"Then how come you managed to survive the explosion, you look like shit?" Floch sneers, stepping closer to me. Abruptly he slams the butt end of his rifle into my stomach as I heel over, losing the air from my lungs while keeping myself up with one knee. "Is Levi really dead........or I'll check his pulse...."

Growling beneath my breath, my eyes dangerously glare into his own cold ones.

Before he could say another word, "Floch!!!!!!!"

Suddenly a heavy gust of hot steam gathers around the titan behind me, as all our eyes widen trying to process what was going on. "What's happening to it?" He demands. "Did it just die?!"

"That's not it, their bodies don't suck in steam when they disappear!" Hanji informs him, finding this moment rare and even foreign to the extent of our knowledge. All soldiers had their rifles aiming at the other threat for a moment, before it was all bone and nothing left. However a figure comes out from the inside of the titan, falling out like a sack of flesh. Slowly my eyes widen when I soon recognised who it was, as my anger began to boil hotter and hotter.

Zeke survived.........

Suddenly a splash was heard seeing hanji jump into the stream with Levi, causing Floch to growl, "They're escaping!!!" following with gunfire at them, while my body was becoming heavier and heavier to move. 

"Leave them alone!!!" I growl, threateningly.

Floch glowers down upon me pulling out a shorter pistol and directly aimed, before he takes his shot feeling pain run it's course through my thigh and the constant ringing in my ears.

"A weakened lone wolf isn't a leader without it's pack," He seethes through his teeth, venomously. Blood forces it's way to the surface from the flesh, as my breath was shaky and trembling "You'll die soon enough, but not yet.......you're useless to me right now so I see no threat anymore..."

"Fuck you.....Forster," I utter out, as my wet hair tangles and shaggily covers my eyes.  

He then brushes past me heading towards Zeke while i knelt there feeling my body growing colder, my head spinning uncontrollably. My breath was becoming difficult to steady, feeling this sinking dread taking it's toll over me following with the physical pain from the explosion. My right hand goes to touch my ring finger, only to feel